More often than not, when presenting anything to a client, you’re showing them a few solutions, not just one. There are pros and cons to this method. Pro? As a creative team, we can explore different directions. Con? The client can come back and want everything morphed together into one shiny new thing. Which, also—more often than not—is not the best answer.

Here’s why.

You end up with a muddled product. Whether it’s a logo, website design, or print piece, combining two or more concepts into one can lead to a less successful solution; the vision is less impactful. You may be overreaching or stretching the limits of what you’re really trying to say. The voice and tone get muffled.

As a design house, our job is to understand clients’ needs. We don’t just design pretty things. We research. We study your materials and competitors. We see what is on trend and experiment. We go through rounds of edits internally to decide what fits your needs. And then we present the best thought-out solutions.

In a way, we’re map-makers. It’s our job to show you the efficient, thoughtful way to reach your destination.

That’s not to say things can’t work together—because, believe me, we are paid to do just that. We’re problem solvers. And sometimes magical things can happen when combining two ideas. What I am saying is it isn’t easy. Which is a misconception by those who aren’t creative. It’s another hurdle that can appear when you think you’ve jumped them all and finally crossed the finish line. But hey, on the plus side, we must be creating pretty good work if the client falls in love with all the things.

This is why creative briefs are important. This is why it’s necessary to outline the goals of the project before any major work begins. Everyone needs to be on the same page in terms of outline, process, production, and receivables. The treasure is easier to find when there’s a map. The creative brief becomes the map that everyone can rely on. Especially when we (creative team and client) need to refocus.

The creative process is an adventure, after all.