Ideas Don’t Speak for Themselves

This morning, as we reviewed some frames we’re sending to the client later today, something sparked a conversation about design reasoning. That is, a conversation about the intentionality of designs based on the story they’re attempting to tell. Moving past the question of “does this look cool” to the question “how does this tell the story?” This is a vitally important question for which to be able to verbalize an answer, because—as any experienced producer will tell you—it’s the most important part of selling good ideas.

Your best ideas will not speak for themselves.

Great ideas are nuanced. Great ideas have depth. Great ideas break the normal. Unfortunately, all these qualities work against your work when it’s being reviewed. Your clients will always be evaluating ideas through a lens of what they understand. And what they understand is whatever references they sent you when they asked for a quote. In order to move outside of their comfort zone—what they understand—you have to give them a really good reason.

So how do you tip the scales? How do you get clients to buy into your best ideas? Tell them why they’re the best ideas.

Good design is motivated and communicating that motivation to the client is the most important aspect of selling good design. In the same way that the final product will tell a story to the audience in order to sell something, you need to tell a story to your clients to sell your ideas.

If you want to get your best ideas made, practice communicating why they’re the best ideas, because they will not speak for themselves. And if you can’t explain why they’re the best ideas, you’re probably not putting enough thought into your designs before you start making them.