Big Gnome

What do artisan coffee and gourmet design have in common? The guys at Orange Coat arranged a coffee cupping at Liquid Highway yesterday to learn how to taste and talk about specialty coffee. The larger lesson was to have us experience how this exercise can be similar to how we strive to create a common language when talking with clients about design. A client saying they want something with “edge” or the color “green” is most likely going to mean something different from one client to the next.

While we smelled, stirred, slurped and savored the coffees, there was some passionate talk about how to help clients articulate and explain what they want. I agree with much of what was shared – understanding the client’s ultimate goals with their business is a major starting point – not asking “what is your favorite color?”.

One approach Big Gnome uses is to ask clients to share their feelings on the brands they love intrinsically and visually. If that makes sense and works well with their goals, we’ll use that as a muse. Unfortunately, some clients cave in too quickly to what they think their customers will want or expect their identity to be.

When a business owner is afraid to do something different or to be themselves, they fall back on what everyone else does or what’s traditionally accepted. For example, they want a globe in their corporate mark design because the word “global,” “international” or “world” is in their business name.

I think often the client’s choice to be bland is rooted in fear. Fear of rejection from their customers. If it is fear, we try to uncover the reasons why and evaluate how to more forward. It is awesome when we can help clients tackle those fears and go somewhere new and more effective with their identity. Sometimes it feels like design therapy. If there’s no road to recovery, we have to decide whether or not Big Gnome is really a good fit for them.