New Client Checklist

I love new clients. They have such a great, excited energy; they are usually thrilled to be expanding on their business, or improving on their brand. They are full of hope, and usually ideas. This is part of what makes my job fun.

However, there are many instances where a client feels that they are ready to hire a designer, but they might not have all the necessary items at hand to expedite a project. It is my job to inform my clients what they need to bring to the table, but I felt that it was also important to give potential clients an idea of what most designers and developers will ask of them so they too can be prepared for an initial interview.

Example Client Interview and Project Evaluation; Project: Simple Brochure Website

This might be the first time I get to meet a potential client. Expect a lot of questions! The questions that I will most likely ask are below.

• Please explain your business in detail (if it is not immediately obvious).
• What do you wish to accomplish with this project?
• What is your target market?
• Can you provide me with some website URLs that you like and dislike, and tell me what you like or dislike about each one? (This gives me a good idea of what you consider great design.)
• Do any of your competitors have a website, and if so, which ones should I take a look at? (This gives me an idea of what your competition is trying to accomplish with their sites and keeps yours from looking similar, as well as gives me ideas of what we can do better!)
• How many pages do you see the site having, and what will be on them? Do you have a navigational structure in mind? (If not, we will discuss the best way to structure the site and come up with a solution together.)
• Do you currently have appropriate content for the website? If not, when will you be able to provide it to me? When you have provided the content, may we schedule a brainstorming session to enhance your content for search engine optimization (SEO)?
• Do you have a current logo/branding scheme? (A graphic standards manual is a plus!)
• Do you have an idea of what color scheme you would like to see on the site, or would you like me to make some suggestions?

If you can give a potential designer or developer answers to all of these questions, your interview and project will go quite smoothly!