The secret to being a dream client

A little collaboration goes a long way. And when you’re an organization with limited funds, teamwork is priceless.

Of course, everybody wants the dream project that gets dream results. But how do you get it? With so many different tastes and constraints affecting every project, how does one actually make it happen?

On the Boards (OtB) aced it in the branding and messaging work they completed with Pyramid last April. In their approach and their diligence, the OtB staff really put our consulting time to work for their mid-sized organization—and ended up leaving some mighty lessons in their wake.

LESSON 1: The Baseline
Enough cannot be said about starting a project with everyone on the same page. When we asked OtB to provide us with some of their old materials and language, they came back with a huge, meticulously organized binder full of everything from flyers to brochures, office forms to programs. Before their project even got started, they put in the work to prepare for it. This effort was enormously helpful in letting their Pyramid team know where they were, what they liked and what they wanted to accomplish. That binder was used constantly throughout six months of work—and here in the office we’re considering having it bronzed.

LESSON 2: The Dialogue
Figuring out who you are as an organization and how you’re going to express that requires dialogue, a bit of back and forth to hone in on the very essence of what you do and why it matters. The folks from OtB understood this kind of exchange on a very fundamental level, which made it possible for them to provide productive direction and feedback with each new draft or design concept we showed them. They were not only able to identify specifically what they wanted from each deliverable, they also fueled the creative fire by contributing ideas, not just their likes and dislikes. Meanwhile, they trusted that their Pyramid team was working to understand their organization (and trying to help them understand it too) through the revision and review process. As a result, the whole team functioned optimally—and with contagious enthusiasm.

LESSON 3: The Flexibility
When doing creative work, an open mind is essential. OtB came in thinking anything was possible. Over the course of their work with Pyramid, they sorted through their preferences, individually and as an organization, all the while welcoming new suggestions and ideas. This approach led to a very generative environment full of possibilities, and ultimately yielded a vibrant new brand, precise messaging and a very detailed style guide that even superhero consultants could not produce alone. By engaging deeply and candidly, OtB got more bang for their buck than they could have imagined.