The day has arrived.  You are about to start a big design project.  What do you need to take to the designer/architect in order to get the job rolling?  In my years of design work I have seen everything from nothing up to printed three ring binders, and power point presentations at an initial client/prospect meeting.  While I don’t feel a power point presentation is absolutely necessary, talking to a designer with little or no preparation is not the way to go. Here is my wish list of what I want clients to bring with them to a first meeting on a project.

Price Knowledge    If you are going to build a home, or do a major remodel you need to get a real world feeling for what things cost.  To do this, I would visit new homes for sale in your area, and talk to builders, realtors, anybody who has experience with doing the kind of work you are planning. If it is an interior design project, visit furniture stores and look at what furniture costs. Almost universally, people who come to me about large projects have cost expectations way out of line (too low) with what they have to spend.

Budget    If you don’t know what you want to spend, it is very hard to discuss what you can do.  I also ask people to qualify their budgets.  Does the budget include absolutely everything, or is it just part of the overall project?  These things have to be discussed.

A Site Plan    For those of you with a lot who are seeking a new house design, an accurate site plan is critical.  A professional surveyor showing contour lines, wetlands, utilities, etc should do this.  You will need one done regardless of who does the design work, so it might as well be done up front.

Basic Local Code Knowledge    This pertains to covenant issues, wetlands classifications, height restrictions, and setbacks.  This will keep the designer/architect you are interviewing from throwing out design ideas that are impractical and/or illegal.  Inaccurate advice wastes everybody’s time.

Style    For any project, the client’s desired style is critical.  To get usable feedback from a designer it is necessary to tell them what style direction is desired.  People who aren’t sure what they want force me to limit my discussions to the practical aspects of design, leaving off the sizzle.

Program    Most people have a good idea of what they want to accomplish with their projects.  I would like to have them go the extra mile and to prioritize what they are after.  You don’t want to spend time initially debating the merits of stainless steel sinks when you are trying to find out if a designer has good overall design concepts at his command.  It also keeps the client focused on the important things.

An Open Mind    Designers are hired for their creativity.  Be prepared to hear a solution to your problem that you may not have ever considered.  It could be a looney concept, or one that makes the whole project. 

When you meet with a design professional to inquire about design services you want to come away with that person’s best ideas and advice.  If you are unprepared, or don’t know what you want, then you can only get a limited preview of that designer’s abilities.  The full experience is much better for you, so do as the Boy Scouts do: be prepared!