The first meeting decides the project

We bring no slides to a first meeting, no case studies and no process diagram. We bring questions and a notebook, and we try to talk less than half the time.

What we listen for

The words people use for their own company, which are rarely the words on their website. The thing they are proud of that no customer has noticed. The competitor they mention twice.

Who is in the room

The people who will make the decisions, and at least one person who will live with the result every day. A receptionist has told us more about a brand than a board ever has.

What happens after

Within a week, we send back a single page: what we heard, what we think the problem is and what we would do first. If the page is wrong, it is better to know before any design exists.