The design world has undoubtedly become more competitive over the last decade. Clients have the opportunity to outsource their work to anywhere in the world and therefore are looking for added value when they are doing business with you. Whether you are introducing designs for a new business logo, new WordPress website, or a complete corporate package, you need to go about it the right way.
Face-to-face or over the Internet?
You have to make the choice whether you are going to present your design ideas face-to-face or over the Internet, and then get the presentation tools that you need. It may be that you do several presentations over the Internet with bigger milestone presentations face-to-face. Face-to-face contact is part of your added value. It is an opportunity to interact in a rich way and really communicate the reason behind what you’ve done and the decisions you have made.
The decision on this will dictate the medium of your presentation. If you are inviting clients to your office then you should have quality presentation systems in order to enhance the power of what you are communicating.
If you are presenting online then make sure you do so in a collaborative environment through quality cloud-based software.
UK-based presentation system supplier, Videonations, highlights why your choice of presentation platform is so important. “You have to realize that your presentation systems can be as important as what you are presenting. If you can make quick design changes based on feedback and can share information directly to client screens, you will increase their buy-in to your process and therefore also to your designs.”
Be prepared
In any meeting you need to communicate that you have done your research. You need to make sure that the client understands that you understand their objectives and their philosophy.
Why did you choose to use the color red?
Did you intentionally make the font small on that flyer?
Why did you choose curves rather than angular lines?
Why is this so much information below the fold of the homepage?
Questions are a sign of interest and should not be feared. However, you need to make sure that you have valid answers to these very good questions. How does what you have done it into what they are trying to achieve?
Tell a story
When you are presenting designs you need to make sure you are telling the story. This story will provide frames of reference for all the details of your designs. Read up about the art of telling a story, and practice.
You need to of course make sure the story is intimately entwined with the brand for which you are designing, and the story that they are already telling. One great story to tell is by focusing on the problem and then providing a solution and highlighting how each aspect of your design solves an aspect of the problem. Another story philosophy is to look at the design lifestyle chronologically in order to highlight the steps that you took to get to where you are now.
Talk with passion and remain positive
The rugby TV show Hard Knocks Psychologist, Paul Boross, explains that “For anyone you are communicating with to enter a psychological state you must be in that state yourself.”
If you are passionate about the designs you are introducing then how can you expect others to get passionate about them themselves. If you are nervous or fearful that this will come across in your presentation. Focus on the story and the designs and not yourself. Get yourself into a positive frame of mind and ensure that your passion shines through as you communicate about your client’s vision
