Nika Worlund (00:01)
there is a very big secret that no one tells you. And the secret is
When those agencies I just told you about with incredible portfolios, when those agencies get the clients through the door, those clients aren't dream clients, okay? They make them dream
Nika Worlund (00:19)
Welcome to Design Bigger, the podcast for designers and studios ready to think bigger, design bigger brands and land bigger projects. I'm Nika Worland, an Exbig agency brand strategy director who took her blue chip client expertise and built a freelance career helping independent agencies around the globe. This is the podcast where I share the tricks of the trade for lean design thinking to set you up as a world-class creative talent. As a translator between business and creatives, I'll show you how to speak client, hack top agency frameworks and think like the best studios out there.
If you're ready to design bigger, hit subscribe and let's get started.
Nika Worlund (00:54)
Hello designers, creative directors and agency founders. This episode is going to be for
It's about how an agency can get those dream clients. Emphasis on the word dream.
I worked for a few agencies whose portfolios look incredible. You go on their website and literally every single project is unique and creative and so interesting, and the work appears on the die line, on the brand identity websites, Pentawards and the kind of work that I think every
design agency owner or creative director really dreams about.
So when I hear agencies or creative directors who aren't there yet talk about how to get those dream clients, I often want to interrupt them because
there is a very big secret that no one tells you. And the secret is
When those agencies I just told you about with incredible portfolios, when those agencies get the clients through the door, those clients aren't dream clients, okay? They make them dream
I've worked on so many projects when the client who came through the door and the client who left through the door when the project was done was a completely different brand.
And one side of it is obviously brand identity. when a talented designer gets their hands on a brand, can absolutely transform business.
But there's the other side of the coin, which is strategy. I'll give you an example. I worked on a skincare brand they were in a good place in their business. but they were a local aesthetician brand that has reached the capacity and
couldn't grow anymore within their local community. So
they wanted to start selling their products as a D2C brand. But because the original brand was based on the aesthetician's expertise, she had a choice to either establish herself as the celebrity aesthetician, which is a growing category of brands right now, or
she could reinvent the brand and create something that wasn't about her at all, that had a bigger idea that would be easy to understand for people who don't know her online.
So we have done a very in-depth strategic exploration for her. And the story that we have developed for the new brand was absolutely rooted in her products and her expertise, but it wasn't about her. It was a completely new brand with a new story, new proposition, new formula.
And it looked incredible. So when other people go online and see that project and they see that it has a beautiful name and they see that it has like this really unique story for skincare brand They think that this is the brand that came through the door.
it was a good brand, but it wasn't unique or interesting in any way.
and
the agencies that you really admire, that you follow on Instagram, that are being featured in your favorite design blogs.
At some point, right, when they reach their popularity, brands like the ones that they have designed start coming to them and they're attracting them. But in the very beginning, it is literally their strategic thinking that's turning the clients into dream clients.
And it takes guts because the client who came to you probably say, we just want brand identity. And they have a name and they have a URL and everything is functioning all right. And it's a pain for them to change a lot. and so it takes bravery to tell your paying client that, you know, I think your name sucks. I think you need to change that.
I think this product is not doing well. I think you need to cut it. I think you need to cut most of your products actually and keep only the flagship best seller ones. I think we need to move you to a different platform. I think we need to change the packaging structure so we can tell the story better.
But if you have the thinking behind each of these suggestions, it is so much easier to sell.
I'll give you another example.
this year I have been working with Wedge, which is a Dialine Awards 2024 Studio of the Year winner. And you have seen their designs. I'm sure they're on your arena or Pinterest board, know, the vacation sunscreen.
The Pero, actually I'm not sure how to pronounce it. Is it Pero or Paro? ⁓ Meal kits.
the drav beer.
You have seen those beautiful designs, very clever. And the vacation sunscreen in particular was such a success.
because of how creative the strategy was. they essentially took a sunscreen brand and made it all about the experience, right?
If you think about the brands that dominated the category like Banana Boat or Sunbomb or the classics like Nivea and Garnier, they're very standard.
Nothing interesting to them. All of the ads look the same. The packaging looks pretty much the same. So what Wedge did is they led with lifestyle and they experienced, They called it the leisure enhancing sunscreen.
They created a radio station for it. The photography featured very real people in a very grainy, nostalgic aesthetic, which was so different from a classic sunscreen ad that usually shows models, perfect bodies on a perfect beach.
So when that brand came to wedge,
Technically, you would think it wasn't a dream brand. It wasn't famous. It wasn't like L'Oreal or Glossier came through the door, right? They had to create it themselves and they could easily just design a cute design. But the strategic thinking was to really shift it into something completely different, to create the world around it.
make it really fun understand that everything depends on the budget,
So many clients would ask for a brand world and really want that really immersive experience around the brand, but actually don't have the budget to consistently create the content and all of those technically unnecessary bits of photography, experiences, events, right? This is all expensive. So.
Yes, I understand that sometimes the client only has the budget for the necessary bits,
but even within those constraints, you can still really push the brand story and really talk about the product benefits in a unique way and really make sure that your brand identity and aesthetic are cutting through the noise by being completely different, right?
Another good conversation you can have with a client who only want the basic package if you have packages.
is to ask them what their business goals are for that year. Once they start talking big numbers,
then spending on a brand that will help them achieve those numbers and can technically be a percentage of that number is much easier than if you're talking about, hey, I'm gonna design a logo and this, and this is gonna be $5,000 or something.
So if you see an opportunity in this client, you can see how you can transform them, really have this conversation, really explain the possibility, make them see what you see, make them believe because their head is in their business.
Help them understand that they actually have something here that you can blow up and make really huge and turn their business into that dream client.
So to leave you with some action points, because I feel like talking about strategies always so vague because unless you deep dive into, okay, what frameworks did you use and how actually did you structure your process? Like, how did you get to that idea? It's very hard to talk specifics on a podcast. Also, they're protected by NDA. So I can't tell you exactly what I have done and how I've done it. But I do want to leave you with some practical tips on how to
turn a client into a dream client through your process.
So first thing I would do is I would ensure that you don't start with design right away. You need to get your client's head out of their business, out of their category, and get them really excited about what's out there.
everybody loves an underdog story. Everybody loves a good case study. Show them a couple of examples of how other brands of their size in a different category have achieved transformation through brand and story. Use vacation sunscreen. It's now in Target.
then I would spend a good chunk of time actually thinking about how this brand can be transformed. Does it need a new name?
obviously they need a new brand identity and that's why they're here But see what other aspects of the brand can be changed. Do they need to take something out? Do they need to dramatically change the product? Do they need to add something? Do they need to target a different consumer?
What can you do as a consultant? Because they came to you for a brand solution. In their head, all they know is a brand is a logo and brand identity.
But as a consultant, can really start challenging their thinking.
with examples, with your ideas, with references.
and make them see your vision.
If you manage to get them excited and they're willing to change, then I would go and actually craft the brand story, the brand positioning. What's the value prop, right? If you can't do the whole full blown brand positioning, let's focus on personality that can cut through. That's very different from everybody else. I want you to think about the point of view, which is
What does this brand think that's very different from the category? What do they do that nobody else in the category does?
And then the value prop, I would be very, very specific about the value prop and find that unique thing about the product. And if the product is not unique, then you have to double down on personality and point of view, right? Liquid death is water.
Yes, it's technically pure than some other waters, but it's a perfect example of how the brand has managed to differentiate based on their point of view. And their point of view is, hate marketing. And their insight was, people who love drinking water feel weird drinking Evian.
because a lot of them are at a rock concert or skateboarding or snowboarding and they want something cool to hold while all of their friends are loading up on energy drinks.
And only then, when you have gone through these three steps, I would start designing.
So get your client excited.
Challenge them on what they can change. Can they use a different substrate? Can they use different packaging?
Glossier used bubble wrap pouch for their skincare that became iconic. Can you switch a few things to make this brand instantly different?
then design the positioning story with a focus on point of view personality and the value prop. And the value prop is something like vacation, know, sunscreen, they say, we're a leisure enhancing sunscreen. And only then you design. So that is how you take a client and make it into a dream client. And once you have done this over and over again, and you have a portfolio of these,
Create brands with great names and really creative ideas. You will start getting other brands who want that, whom you don't need to educate so much.
to come through your doors.
So that's that for today.
I hope that got you inspired.
As a designer, really have the power to transform not only how the brand looks, but also how it works. So don't be scared to challenge some tangible things about the brand as well.
Clients trust you, they appreciate you, they came to you for the solution.
And if you're a strategic designer, the solution can be the and business, not just the pack or the ID.
So go create something big and beautiful. And remember, the best designers and the best design agencies are always strategic.
