As a freelance designer, there's nothing quite like the feeling of excitement when a new enquiry enters your inbox.
It's only natural to get a little carried away… envisioning that killer brand you're about to bring to life, perfectly placed in your portfolio and Instagram grid.
But sometimes, an over eagerness to book a project can lead to problems down the line.
And I learned this lesson the hard way.
A few years ago, during a slow period in my business, I jumped at the chance to land a new project. In my desperation to end the dry spell and get paid, I rushed through important steps and overlooked crucial details (all to secure the work).
Little did I know that this would turn out to be a massive mistake. One that made me question everything, including whether I was even cut out for this whole freelancing thing!
Let's rewind…
After an incredibly quiet Summer, a prospect approached me about a rebrand for their e-commerce business.
They were specific about the deliverables they wanted and eager to get started ASAP, aiming to launch in Autumn.
Paired with their Pinterest board, clear passion for their business, and a style that aligned with mine, I quickly drafted and sent over a proposal and contract outlining the project scope, deliverables, and timeline.
Within a day, they were booked in, and I was ready to wave my design wand 🪄
The project was small, so the timeline was too (we were set to wrap up in just one week).
Or so I thought…
Over those 7 days, I poured my time into crafting a logo suite that I believed perfectly captured their brand.
I was convinced this concept hit the nail on the head and would get signed off by the client.
But boy was I wrong.
Although they liked the customisations and overall vibe, they disliked the serif fonts, saying they felt too formal for their business. Looking back, I have to agree.
So I scrapped the concept, sourced a different font (sans serif this time), and started again.
This time around the logo suite was a hit. However, the client then requested a "quick change" to add yellow in the colour palette (something they hadn't noticed was included before).
That "quick change" spiralled into hours of adjusting colours throughout mockups and presentations.
After a few other minor tweaks, the Visual Identity got the green light, and we moved forward onto the packaging design.
With the packaging design, the plan was to create a mailer box design that highlighted the fun quirks of the business and its new Brand Identity.
This stage of the project actually went fairly smoothly, and as I was adding a few final touches to the design, I received an email from the client...
Reluctantly, I agreed to the client's request (goodbye weekend).
After creating the thank you cards and going through multiple revision cycles, we were well past the proposed timeline.
This led to mounting stress on my end, with an increasingly pushy client demanding constant updates about the delays.
Eventually, I got the project done (more than a few days late), but I was exhausted.
Not just "I haven't had my eight hours" tired, but "I don't even want to open my laptop and look at another pixel" tired.
This project had completely drained me mentally and left me burned out.
What I learned from this…
A few weeks after this experience, once I felt refreshed to get back to growing my design business, I took some time to reflect on the project and identify why it was all over the place.
Now, it would have been easy to simply label them as a difficult client, and while there might be some truth to that, I needed to look internally at my business and see what I could do on my end to prevent similar situations.
The realisation I came to was that I had failed to ask enough targeted questions at the start of the project.
Lack Of Questions = A Recipe for Disaster
During the enquiry phase, my questions were limited to:
“Tell me about your business.”
“What deliverables would you like?”
Such vague questions only lead to vague answers.
Without digging deeper, I had no real grasp of the client's needs or where the project was headed.
The result? A complete lack of clarity from the start.
You see, by taking time to thoroughly understand their business, I could have:
Identified their visual preferences from the start.
Known all required deliverables and suggested essential launch materials.
Protected my time and income through better project management.
What I do now…
After onboarding a client into my project management system, I get them to fill out a detailed questionnaire to explore their purpose, preferences, and positioning. (If you’re looking for a way to manage your projects, you can grab my system here).
We then review their answers together during our strategy call.
Here are some key questions I ask:
What future does your brand want to create?
How does your business operate? Walk me through how customers discover you, make purchases, and receive your products.
Are there any font styles you particularly dislike, and what's the reason?
Armed with these insights, I can truly understand what clients need and design solutions that perfectly match their vision.
Having this clarity helps avoid mistakes before they even happen!
What you can do…
I've put together a resource with my tried-and-tested client questions (the ones that have helped make countless projects successful).
It will help prevent situations and projects like the one I've shared in this newsletter.
You can download it HERE.
Hope this helps and speak soon,
Abi 😊
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