TIL a 'pre-flight checklist' saved me from a total redo last month

A customer wanted a custom logo with 'vibrant energy' but kept sending back my drafts saying they felt flat. After the fourth try, I made a simple Google Form asking for three reference images, a color they hate, and one word they must avoid. They picked 'corporate' as the bad word, which was KEY. Sent the next draft avoiding all that, and they approved it in 20 minutes. Has anyone else used a form like this to pin down vague ideas?

4 comments

4 Comments

laura_wilson2mo ago

Four drafts is a lot of back and forth for a logo. I get needing a checklist, but a whole Google Form feels like overkill for a simple vibe check. Most clients just need you to ask them the right questions in the chat. If they hate the word corporate, you could have found that out on the first call. Making them fill out a form seems like adding extra steps to a process that should be a conversation.

keith1642mo ago

My last client took eight drafts just to pick a shade of beige.

ivan_price32mo ago

Honestly, seems like a lot of work for a vibe check. Couldn't you just ask them in the chat?

lisab3229d ago

Totally get this, it's like asking someone what they want for dinner and they just say "food." That checklist forces them to actually think for a second. I started doing something similar when planning trips with friends, because "somewhere fun" means totally different things to different people.