Everyone is different—duh! As obvious as that sounds, it is something I am always reminded of when working with clients.  Sometimes the briefs I am given are highly detailed, carefully constructed frameworks that just need a bit of polish—some creative cladding.  Other times they are nothing more than a few rough sentences or a scribble, a starting point that needs to be built up from scratch.

Regardless of how the brief arrives, my job is to create that first draft.  That means taking all the pieces—whether fully formed or half-baked—and trying to assemble a picture of what is in the client’s head.  Ideally I go beyond that and deliver something even better than they imagined.

But here is the thing: My first drafts are not meant to be perfect.  They are not about nailing the final image in one attempt.  They are about laying down the major building blocks and pointing us in the right direction.  They often look rough and unfinished—an eclectic mix of elements in varying stages of polish.  And that is okay.  In fact, it is necessary.

For me, that rough first version is an important signpost—it clarifies the direction we are headed and gives me a clearer sense of both the task and how the client prefers to collaborate.  Some clients do find it hard to look past the surface of that early draft, but that is part of the process too: helping them see the potential behind that first draft.