Creatives roundtable accountability group members and slack community members define their idea of a perfect client.
My perfect client is the one who understands we are partners in solving a business problem. Nancy Cutler, The Midnight Oil
My perfect client is a talented, experienced professional that is starting or growing a private practice services firm and needs to work with a partner to either build a unique brand from scratch or rebrand an existing business to position it for more growth. My perfect client from a personality standpoint is friendly, honest, and appreciates the power of a strong brand and what it can do for their business. They are invested, but not too involved, in the process and they are comfortable contributing ideas and giving feedback. Reggie Holmes, Enthuse Creative
The perfect client gives feedback to my initial drafts with a clearly marked-up PDF and doesn’t tell me how to design it! That’s why I was able to design and produce this beautiful, original annual report for the Portland Children’s Levy (image is linked to full report). Christine Rains, Christine Rains Design
I love working with women small business owners that have created their business out of a true passion. I also love working through strategy and logistics with clients who don’t have it all figured out yet. Emma McGoldrick, Emma McGoldrick
As a marketer and content producer, our ideal client is a brand or individual that is a personality-driven brand that is unafraid to share their story through content. People don’t connect with companies, they connect with people. It takes careful crafting but if you can position your business and communications as more of a personality, someone fun, reliable, likable, you’ll be miles ahead of the competition. Laura Cheek, InsperienceIt
My perfect client strives to make progress in their lives, in their business, and the community around them.
My perfect client strives to make progress in their lives, in their business, and the community around them. They value the insights others have to offer that will contribute to their vision (Image is linked). Crystal Reynolds, Crystal Ink
I love working with other creative professionals! But, more importantly, I really enjoy working with clients who share the same values as I do. Specifically, clients who care about work-life balance, communicate effectively, embrace innovation, and show respect. I talk about each of these values in the About You & My Values section on my About page so potential clients understand the items that are important to me and the way I do business. Jill Anderson, Jill Lynn Design
A perfect client to me is someone who trusts me and my design process. One who sees me as a partner rather than a contributor in their business. Karla Pamanes, Karla Pamanes
My ideal client is looking for a creative collaborator to help bring their idea to reality. They are someone who has a basic knowledge of marketing and values the insights that I have as a designer. We can talk and brainstorm together to help solidify each other’s ideas into a final product or solution. I love to have the big picture of the project so sharing all the information with me is ideal, whether it relates directly or indirectly to my role so that I have the clearest picture of the processes and goals. This helps me do my best work and guide the project accordingly. To drill down even more, they would be a conference/event planner who needs a designer to manage the creative aspect for them because that is the work I love to do. Cara Capizzi, Capizzi Designs
My perfect client is one that treats me as a partner.
My perfect client is one that treats me as a partner and understands the value a designer brings to their marketing projects. I love the longer-term clients, when you start to make personal connections with them as well.
Great clients get better work, they get it faster and they pay less for it. Great clients are great because they do the work that keeps the process smooth. And it’s cheaper-better-faster not because of favoritism but because of the effort, it takes to get stuff done.
Michu Benham Steiner
Jen Leonardson, Oxyjen Design
First off, my perfect client is someone who understands the value of my work. Second, someone who shares my passion for making a change through design and marketing and a desire to work collaboratively. And lastly, a sense of lightheartedness and humor is important (especially when my kids interrupt meetings). Lidia Varesco Racoma, Lidia Varesco Design
An ideal client is one who is ready to join on a creative journey. Branding is a process with incremental results, and the best solutions are a combination of creative know-how plus client engagement. They are comfortable delegating to the creatives while also open to sharing their institutional knowledge as we build out a brand strategy. Collaboration is vital to a successful project! Deb Dulin, debdulin.com
My perfect clients are mid-sized nonprofits who work with kids and education. That’s who I work with the most and the cause I’m most passionate about. I understand the needs of these organizations and love helping them achieve their missions. Libby Ventura, Ventura Graphic Design
Our perfect client is one who trusts us. We always say that…trust us as experts and be willing to go beyond what they were envisioning. We absolutely love to work with small businesses, especially those independent businesses that are involved in their community. We are passionate about the bigger picture…people working together for the greater good. Cassie Brkich, Brkich Design Group
Nonprofits, and NGOs into polished prose articles and white papers. My ideal client is a research or consulting team that has performed important and substantial research into a business or policy issue and has all the pieces I need to create a compelling story, including why the issue is important, supporting data, examples, and results. Carol Tuite
A perfect client for me loves to collaborate.
A perfect client for me loves to collaborate, respects my values, and cares about a great partnership as much as a job-well-done. Tara Hoover, Tara Hoover Design
My idea of a perfect client is a mid-size nonprofit/NGO/B-corp that is past the founder stage, with a well-functioning board that trusts their professional staff. They are an organization that wants to think bigger, and is, but needs help evolving their self-image, voice, and brand to reflect the organization they’ve become, not the organization they’ve been or started out as. And they are an organization that seeks alignment and growth, and needs a strategic partner to get there. Jenn Cole, Jenn Cole Design
I’m currently going through a rebrand and it is empowering me to really niche down and define who my perfect client is. The professional development work I’m in the depths of is uncovering that I love B-Corps, companies with less than 100 people, and no in-house marketing department. Jenny Poff, Jenny Poff
My perfect client is amiable and respectful – especially of my time. If every project is “an emergency” then it’s not a good match. I adore clients who approach projects in a collaborative way – they’re open to my ideas but also will push back when needed (because, hey, I’m not the expert in their industry). And the icing on the cake is to have a client who’s social and has a sense of humor. Nadine Noble, The Idea Nest
My ideal client is someone who has been referred to me by an existing client. This person already reviewed my work, received a testimonial about my services, and falls into one of three categories:
1. They’re starting a business and know they need marketing/branding support from a reliable and creative designer.
2. They work in higher education and know I have experience serving higher educational audiences, as well as a skill set in magazine layout and design.
They work for a nonprofit and know they need an extra hand from a graphic designer who understands their marketing objectives. Jeannine Papelino, Intrex Design