Overheard in a Client Meeting

We had a really great client meeting this morning about a new project. Something really interesting was said as we were wrapping up.

“What might cause this idea to fail?”

What a fair, and honest question! It asked us not so much about our own skills, and abilities, but about what we had witnessed over the years. As designers we get to team up with all sorts of businesses to promote, launch products, brand, and generally assist in business efforts. While we’re really careful about who we do work for, not every business turns out a success.

Projects and businesses fail for all sorts of reasons. Bad management, poor funding, bad timing, etc. Design can solve lots of problems, but it can’t fix a business with bad underlying fundamentals.

A conversation that started out about all of the “things we should be doing” turned into a conversation about “what we should avoid doing.” Totally different, and relevant line of thinking. Something to keep in mind for project kick-offs from now on.