One of the most common challenges we see at Say Web Design is the gap between what a client has in their head and what they’re able to communicate to us. Most clients know they need a new website. They can feel it. Their current site is five, maybe ten years old, it looks dated, it doesn’t reflect who they are anymore \u2014 but when it comes to putting their vision into words? That’s where things get tricky.<\/p>\n
This post is here to bridge that gap. Whether you’re approaching a web designer for the first time or you’ve been through the process before and it didn’t quite go to plan, here’s everything you need to know about communicating your vision effectively.<\/p>\n
The very first thing we ask every new client is: show us websites you like \u2014 and websites you don’t. Not because we’re going to copy anyone, but because it’s almost always easier to react to something than to conjure a vision from nothing.<\/p>\n
Look at your competitors. Look at businesses you admire, even in completely different industries. Notice what draws you in. Is it the clean layout? The bold colours? The way they’ve laid out their services? Save those links and send them over.<\/p>\n
But here’s the key thing most people miss: don’t just send the link. Tell us what you like about it. Is it the font? The photography? The way the homepage flows? The more specific you can be, the better. A link without context leaves us guessing \u2014 and guessing costs everyone time.<\/p>\n
Before we talk about colours, fonts or layouts, there are a few questions we ask every client \u2014 and they’re worth thinking about before you even pick up the phone to a designer.<\/p>\n
These questions sound simple but they reveal everything. The answers shape the entire design \u2014 from the structure of the pages to the tone of the copy to which elements we prioritise on the homepage.<\/p>\n
If you’re briefing a designer on behalf of a team, this one is critical. The most frustrating situation we encounter \u2014 and it happens more often than you’d think \u2014 is when a brief has been put together by multiple people who haven’t agreed on the vision first.<\/p>\n
We’ll receive a brief with a set of example sites attached. We’ll make design decisions based on those examples. Then, when we present the work, someone on the team refers back to a completely different set of references that contradict everything we were given. The result is wasted time, frustration on both sides, and a project that loses momentum.<\/p>\n
The fix is simple: have the internal conversation before you come to us. Agree on the direction. Nominate one decision-maker. Make sure everyone who has a stake in the outcome has had a chance to input \u2014 but that the final brief represents a unified view, not a collection of contradictory opinions.<\/p>\n
One of the most common things we hear is: ‘I know what I want, I just can’t explain it.’ That’s completely fine. It’s actually one of the reasons good designers are worth their fee.<\/p>\n
When a client comes to us with a strong gut feeling but no clear articulation, we don’t sit and wait for them to find the right words. Instead, we’ll look at their competitors, pull from our portfolio of previous projects, and create a mood board. Then we’ll walk through it together: out of these hero sections, which direction feels right? Do you prefer a full-width video header or something more minimal? Image-heavy or icon-based? Bold typography or something more understated?<\/p>\n
Giving you something to react to is almost always more productive than asking open-ended questions. We’re building your vocabulary for you \u2014 and most clients find it much easier to say ‘yes, that’ or ‘no, not that’ than to describe something from scratch.<\/p>\n
We’ve worked with clients at every level of preparedness, and the projects that run smoothest \u2014 and deliver the best results \u2014 tend to share a few things in common.<\/p>\n
One of our most memorable projects was with a client who came to us with a mood board already prepared. They had their brand guidelines locked down, they knew the components they wanted on the homepage, and they had examples of sites that inspired them. But crucially \u2014 they also gave us creative freedom. They trusted us to take all of that input and bring something of our own to it.<\/p>\n
That combination \u2014 prepared but not controlling \u2014 is the sweet spot. It meant we could move quickly, with confidence, knowing we were aligned. The client was delighted with the result, and so were we.<\/p>\n
You don’t need to arrive with a mood board and brand guidelines \u2014 that’s not realistic for most businesses. But even a rough list of likes, dislikes, and objectives puts you miles ahead.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest causes of project delays isn’t the design \u2014 it’s the content. Copy and images that aren’t ready when the build is.<\/p>\n
At the start of every project, we have a conversation about who’s responsible for what. Are we writing the copy? Are you? Are you supplying photography or do we need to source imagery? If you’re handling the content yourself, we’ll set up a structured Google Doc file \u2014 laid out logically to match the site \u2014 so you know exactly what’s needed for each page and in what order. That way, when the time comes to build, everything slots in cleanly rather than getting held up waiting for a paragraph that hasn’t been written yet.<\/p>\n
A couple of things we always let clients know upfront, because they cause unnecessary confusion when people aren’t expecting them.<\/p>\n
First: the homepage always takes a little longer.<\/strong> That’s not a problem \u2014 it’s by design. The homepage sets the visual language for the entire site. Once it’s signed off, everything else follows much faster because we’re working to an established style. Don’t rush this stage; getting it right here saves time everywhere else.<\/p>\n Second: when we share a prototype link, the buttons won’t work.<\/strong> We can’t count the number of times a client has messaged to say ‘I can’t click through to the next page’ \u2014 and that’s completely understandable if no one’s told you what to expect. A prototype is a visual design, not a functioning website. The build comes after the design is approved. If you find yourself clicking around and nothing’s happening, that’s normal \u2014 you’re looking at the design, not the finished product.<\/p>\n If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone about to brief a web designer, it’s this: don’t wait until you’ve got everything perfectly articulated. Start somewhere.<\/p>\n Have a look at some competitor sites. Write down your thoughts. Make a note of fonts you like, imagery styles that appeal to you, layouts that feel right. Do you want photography or icons? Minimal or bold? Even a rough list of preferences gives us something to work with.<\/p>\n The less information we have, the longer the process takes \u2014 because we’re working without a compass. The more you give us, even imperfect, rough-around-the-edges notes, the faster and more confidently we can move towards something you’re genuinely proud of.<\/p>\n Any information is better than none. And if you don’t know where to start, that’s what we’re here for.<\/p>\n If you’re thinking about a new website and not sure how to begin, get in touch with the team at Say Web Design. We’ll ask the right questions, draw out the brief, and take it from there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not sure how to explain what you want from your new website? We share the questions we ask every client to draw out a clear brief \u2014 and what you can do to make the process faster and smoother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-responsive_web_design","category-visual-branding-creative-design"],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=964"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":967,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964\/revisions\/967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saywebdesign.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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