After over a year of working at Creative Energy as a designer, I had my first in-person client meeting a few weeks ago. It was one of only a handful of face-to-face interactions I’ve had with the people I design for, and it gave me a fresh look at my purpose as a designer and the role creatives play in our clients’ lives. Here are a few reasons that I think creatives can benefit from meeting directly with their clients.

For a Deeper Understanding

As a designer whose relationship with clients is usually limited to an email or a creative brief, it can sometimes be easy to forget that our clients are more than just a profile picture. The people we create work for are just that: people. People with quirks, personalities, and great jokes to tell. The first step in getting to know a brand is getting to know the people behind it, and a brand’s culture is never just one person. It is a multi-faceted entity made up of teams of people working together. Anytime you can meet with a client and their team, take advantage of the opportunity to better understand the group’s dynamic and goals. Even a ten-minute conversation with a client can bring ideas to light and steer the project toward places that the creative team may never have arrived at on their own.

For a Creative Edge

In an ideal client and creative relationship, the client plays an invaluable role as a collaborator on the project. Meeting with your client face-to-face and hearing their own vision for the project can lead to a wealth of creative ideas to draw from. The back-and-forth that comes from a conversation between the client and the creatives working on a project can spark new ideas and bring a fresh perspective to the work. This open feedback loop can save time for both parties. When creative feedback only flows in one direction, you miss out on this opportunity to build upon and implement ideas and sometimes end up wasting more time guessing what the client wants.

Because it Can be Rewarding!

Getting to see a client’s genuine, real-time reaction to the work that I contributed was one of the most rewarding moments I’ve ever had as a designer. The smiles, the back-and-forth, and even the critiques from the client and their team were exhilarating. It reminded me that the work we do every day has a real emotional impact on the people we create it for. Seeing the excitement in clients’ eyes as they realize that their ideas are finally becoming a reality is an image that will stick with me. Face-to-face meetings are an opportunity for creatives to better understand their clients and to create a more meaningful, collaborative, and rewarding experience for both parties. If you’re looking for an agency where you can work more closely with the creatives on your project, give us a call!