I'll know it when I see it!

If you’re a designer, chances are, you’ve heard a client say "I’ll know it when I see it" in lieu of any kind of creative direction. And at this point you’ve probably already felt frustrated, before the project has even started.

But let’s consider the flip side. A quick search of ‘illustration styles’ gives 185,000,000 results to contend with. One hundred and eighty-five million options! 

It’s not tough to understand why narrowing this down to one would seem like an overwhelming task for a client. Ultimately, they have the same problem you do—there are plenty of different solutions to each dilemma.

On a recent project that started out with this very problem, we managed to make it through by breaking down this gargantuan task and answering questions that are more pointed.

Who is the target audience?

What is this project leading audiences to do?

What does the target audience need to know?

How do you want to be perceived?

No style of design exists in a vacuum. Everything has a tone or visual feel to it that places it in the company of others. A design can be fresh, warm, modern, imposing, young, etc. There is still a lot of room for interpretation with these words, but visually articulating these through developing moodboards, storyboarding and sketching—are great ways to help figure out where you want to stand.

There were still kinks to work out, but establishing parameters at the onset was integral to making the project work, at meet budget.

A mountain is a mountain is a mountain. But which illustrations conveys what you want it to?