Let me make you something

Feel like you can make an informed decision here?

If you don’t know what something means, how can you know…anything?

My husband makes me these perfectly simple and addictive cheese sandwiches. He calls them airport sandwiches because they are similar to a grab and go option in many European airports. The most exceptional combination of baguette, good hard cheese, butter, and cherry tomato that you can find while rushing to make a connecting flight between continents.

This savvy handsome chef de cuisine who lives in my house and makes me food is the epitome of a cultured, world-traveling international.

I, however, grew up in the rust belt of America and the only cheese I ate was sprinkled out of a plastic can onto macaroni.

An education was required.

Language had to be taught and shared.

This is very similar to the beginning of a client relationship, a new project or commission.

The two parties may come from different worlds and speak different languages.

Take the word “modern” for example. If a client were to ask you for a modern design what do you envision?

Clean lines, bold geometrics, monochromatic colors?

What if they heard the word on HGTV and are expecting turquoise and silver and maybe some shiplap? 💀

One of the first exercises I run with a new client is a visual gut check. I try to get them to describe what they see and I share what I see so that we can explore how much of a language gap there is or is not. Our work is all about collective communication. It is imperative that we understand one another from the very beginning.

That way, no one’s thinking they’re ordering up a beautiful burrata but looking at a block of velveeta.

(Were you expecting this post to become classist? Me neither! To be fair, I’ll take both the burrata AND the golden block thank you very much.)

So. Now can I make you an airport sandwich?

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#dobusinessdifferently #creatives #airportsandwich #hgtv #design #freelancer #peanutbutterpurpose #workingartist #clientrelations #nonconformist #graphicdesigners #hiyoav #mylovelanguageischeese