Why we’d rather have a chat first, even if the project’s still just an idea.
Plenty of our projects start with a brief that changes once we’ve talked it through. That’s no reflection on the brief. Whoever wrote it knows their business far better than we do. But when a job’s complicated, there’s nearly always something that doesn’t come across in a document.
01
What doesn’t make it into the brief
It might be a website that has to work for customers and investors at the same time, or a service that’s easy to explain inside the business and harder to explain to anyone else. It might be a rebrand where two teams are picturing slightly different things. None of that is a problem. It’s just much easier to deal with at the start than halfway through.
02
When there’s no brief yet
Some of the best conversations we have are with people who aren’t ready to brief anything. They know something needs to change, or they’ve got an idea they haven’t run past anyone yet. That’s fine. We’ll spend the hour throwing ideas around, working out what the project could be and what it might take. More often than not, that’s enough to get it started.
03
What we’ll ask
Nothing complicated. What’s it for, and how will you know it’s worked? Who needs to say yes? What have you already got that we could use? And what’s bothering you about it? That last one’s usually the most useful.
04
What you’ll come away with
If there was a brief, it’s usually a bit shorter and clearer afterwards. Sometimes it barely changes, which is fine. If there wasn’t one, you’ll normally leave with the outline of one. Either way, you’ll have a realistic idea of cost and time before you commit to anything, and we’ll know where the tricky bits are before we start.
05
Getting in touch
We’re into autumn now, and there are only so many weeks left in the year. If there’s something you’d like finished before it’s out, or ready to start in January, now’s a good time for that hour.
It’s free, and you don’t need anything written down. A rough brief, a few notes or just an idea is fine.
