Collaboration In Design

At Nurture, we believe that the most important part of any successful project is open communication with our clients.

Collaboration is the cornerstone of all our successful projects. The partnership between the studio and the client is crucial for creating visually compelling work that effectively captures their goals and vision. We believe that this is key to bringing a project to life and surpassing expectations.

Let’s dig into how we work collaboratively and ensure that we hit the nail on the head everytime. 

Although our procedures change from time to time, and move with each unique project, this is our general plan for working effectively with our clients:

Project discovery meeting - At Nurture, we like to begin by scheduling project discovery meetings with the client to understand more about the project, their vision, goals, target audience and everything in-between. This is our time to ask questions, share ideas, chuck around words and phrases, and dig into the client’s inspiration and thoughts for the project. Building trust is an essential aspect of client-studio collaboration. Trust can only be established when both parties respect each other's expertise, opinions, and time.

Nailing down a solid brief - Once we understand our client’s aims and inspirations for the project, we like to conclude everything we have gone over in as much detail as possible culminating the information into a solid brief. This is our little bible for everything else throughout the process, and is something that we can continually look back on to refocus and make sure we are on the right track. 

Effective research - When we talk about research, we mean both for the client and their competitors. We have found this to be something that can quite often be overlooked, but is so important in making sure that we are delivering something to make our project and our client stand out. Of course, a main goal of ours is to get inside our clients head and to get to know their business inside out, to understand their history, goals, ethos, style, and general vibe. But to understand their direct competition gives us a chance to set them apart, and find out what we can do to highlight them in a world where alternatives can be found at the click of a button. 

Moodboards - Creating mood boards in the initial stages of a project allows us to come up with ideas, concepts, sketches and colours to present to the client for early feedback. This approach helps fine-tune the project's direction early on, and gives us a visual signpost of which direction we need to be going in. They say that a picture paints a thousand words, and this is exactly how we feel about this stage in our process. 

Setting expectations - Like most other creatives out there, we like to believe we can make any client’s dream a reality. It is always vital to set expectations for ourselves and the client, and ensure that everybody is on the same page. By clearly defining the project's timeline and visual requirements makes sure that both parties know exactly what to expect. This is also the time to outline our requirements, such as contract specifications, timelines, deliverables and the amount of amendments. Setting these details down just helps everyone to make sure they are happy and comfortable with the whole process, and also takes a lot of worry and uncertainty out of the process for the client. 

Check ins and updates - Along the way, we also like to check in regularly with our clients to maintain a steady line of communication throughout the project, provide updates on the project progress, share drafts and ask for feedback. 

Feedback - Feedback is also a very important part of the process. We understand that as much as we might have researched our client and their competitors, they have the most knowledge and insight of their industry. This necessary step also ensures that we are checking in before project completion, to ensure once again that we are on the right path, and will deliver the results that are expected of us.

Flexibility and change - We understand that there may sometimes be the need for flexibility and change throughout the course of a project as initial ideas may need to evolve. Amendments and reviews are a part of the process, and will have already been agreed upon in the initial discovery stages. 

Presenting - When we have completed the initial phase we love to sit down with our clients to showcase our work via a presentation whether that is in person or over Zoom. A compelling presentation not only showcases the aesthetics of the creative but also communicates the underlying thought process, problem solving strategies, and our design philosophy. We find that effective presentations can turn abstract ideas into tangible and persuasive narratives, helping clients to understand and connect with the concepts on a deeper level.

So as we have seen, in our eyes at least, communication is King. The foundation of any successful collaboration is open and honest communication. We really believe that both the studio and the client should have a clear understanding of the project's objectives, goals, and expectations.

Design is not a one-way street. It's a process that benefits from both the studio’s creativity and the client's expertise. 

Effective collaboration between Nurture and our clients is the key to crafting exceptional projects. By prioritising communication, embracing collaboration, staying flexible, and nurturing mutual respect and trust, our studio can establish strong client relationships that lead to successful and satisfying outcomes.

In our experience, the best projects often result from a partnership built on open dialogue and a shared commitment to excellence.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you or just fancy a chat, feel free to get in touch with us at Nurture via hello@designbynurture.com.

Written by Charlene Payne.