If you work in a design studio or as a designer, you know that feeling when your creative ideas get shut down by hesitant clients. When a client says they “love” your presentation but after a few moments start asking for certain elements to be removed or replaced with something “safer” you immediately feel deflated and frankly annoyed. Why don’t they get it and buy into it? Why do they always gravitate back to certainty and safety?
Even though clients hire designers for their creativity and problem solving skills, in general people don’t like unfamiliar things (novelty) or uncertainty. Mostly spoken about in the advertising world, creative paradox is also common in other creative disciplines and markets. We all have a built-in negative attitude to something we don’t know. So our reaction is that we try to avoid it and slip into something we know – familiarity.
That’s why new ideas don’t stand a chance of life unless we take a different approach and let the client arrive at the proposed, “braver” design or solution themselves.
To see how you can do that, here are two books to help you encourage clients to be brave:
1. The Catalyst – How to change anyone’s mind by Jonah Berger
This book dives deep into the mindset barriers most people have, providing detailed understanding, examples and solutions to how to change and mitigate them. Throughout the book you will find a range of techniques that can lead to changing mindsets and attitudes. Even though the book is not written specifically for creatives and designers, it gives you enough insight into how people think about and react to change or unfamiliarity.
When reading through the book’s examples and case studies try to relate back to your clients and see what you can do differently next time when pitching and discussing your ideas.
Available via Amazon here.
2. Invisible influence – The hidden forces that shape influence by Johan Berger
If your clients are being easily influenced by trends, popular products and what influencers are up to, this book explains how social influence works and how it impacts one’s mind, behaviour, decision-making and thoughts. It is a truly fascinating read, helping you to understand certain decisions your clients make. As you read through the book, you will be able to relate to some of the examples and case studies discussed such as predicting the colour of the year and the psychology behind it. Chapter 4, in particular, discusses the tension between familiarity and novelty, as mentioned in my introduction above.
By understanding the invisible influence, you will hopefully be better prepared for negotiating with your clients and helping them make better informed decisions and brave choices.
Available via Amazon here.
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Transparency Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link and we may receive small commission if you decide to make a purchase of this book. We only recommend books our team believes are of highest quality, relevancy to your creative business and value to your brand.
