Presenting Design to Clients

Never show design work without first re-establishing the strategic context. Begin every presentation with: 'Here's what we agreed the problem is. Here's who the audience is. Here's what success looks like. Now let me show you how our design solves this problem.' This framing prevents the presentation from devolving into a subjective art review. When a client sees a design without context, they evaluate it based on personal taste ('I prefer serif fonts'). When they see it after a strategic setup, they evaluate it based on effectiveness ('Does this serif font communicate the authority our audience needs to feel?').