Adam King Studio Fine Furniture & Antique Restoration

This article is a guest post from my good friend, Jason Fleming. Jason is a graphic designer from Colorado Springs who also possess a keen eye for furniture design and construction. Here, Jason discusses the importance of design and how he approaches the process while working with clients.

Every day, as a graphic designer, I am trying to bring the spheres of art and commerce together. Anyone can print off a flyer in Microsoft Word, but that is often a utilitarian solution to a communication need. Similarly, in the fine furniture business, you are providing beautiful alternatives to solve a basic physical need. Someone may need a place to put their coffee, but buying a pre-made end table from Target is only half of the solution. They have come to you because they want to say something.

Like anyone in any creative industry, I have had to learn how to streamline the process of design so that I can be efficient at an inherently inefficient job. Contrary to what many people think, I approach my design work with a surprising amount of intentionality.

I have learned to be intentional and logical about determining the direction and goal of a project, (what my client wants to say) but to let the boundaries (how they want to say it) be as free and loose as possible. Setting parameters helps give a reference point for the rest of the project. If you can nail down the why, then the how is bounded only by your imagination.

I have discovered that the people I work with may have a very good idea about what they want a finished product to accomplish, but they may not really know what they want it to look like or they may not be able to communicate their vision to me articulately. Most clients do not know the basic language of design. Perhaps they have only been exposed to a narrow scope of design options, or they may not know how to differentiate between a concept they liked and the particular physical attributes of something that inspired them.

As a result, the finished product presented to a happy client is sometimes unrecognizable from their first request. I have learned not to simply take someone’s request for a project at face value. Sentences such as “I was thinking of something like this…” can often be better translated as, “I saw something that made me feel…” By talking with my clients about what they want to accomplish, together we can work through the original inspiration to find out what they are really trying to express.

As you can imagine, this can be one of the most delicate parts of my job, but it also produces the most dramatic results. Asking questions about why a client has come to me, what they want to express and how they want their audience to feel have proven much more valuable than the simple questions of how high, how long and how many.

By asking directed questions about the purpose of the piece rather than just its function, I can establish parameters for a project that keeps the design from getting hung up on physical particulars or being limited by a narrow or poorly articulated vision.

How do you approach the design process when working with clients? Is it similar or do you have a unique process that works for you? What are some of the challenges you face? I would love to hear form you.