Take a Spot on the RDQLUS Couch for some "Identity Therapy"

For a long time I've had a particular way of getting the info I need from my clients to do the best work possible for them, but it lacked a few key points. So over the years I've asked and borrowed and tweaked my process until it finally was far more useful than it had ever been. But… it wasn't fully ready yet. Then my good friend, and a client of mine, Jeni Herberger said something that caught my ear, "This was like therapy! You told me some things I didn't like and may not have wanted to hear but I came around. Yeah, it's therapy!"

And so came the name of the process: "Identity Therapy" it shall be!

My "Identity Therapy" process is simply my old trusty creative brief that I turned into a process and an actual product that the client takes active part in, and then ultimately owns and stands behind. Because of client buy-in and ownership, many traditional designer/client potholes are held to a more scientific method and less to the whims of either party, vastly reducing the traditional friction that comes with it all.

The tangible result of the "Identity Therapy" is an actual document of info that becomes the initial "brand story" and culture which many small start-up businesses never get because they come rushing in asking "can you design me a logo?". Yeah but I'd rather give you a full identity and brand. So in essence, it's a slimmed down, candid, straight forward way to get the info I need to do my work, all while giving the client a seat at the table, holding them accountable in a gentle but honest way and then rewarding them with the brand story that you built together.

Truth is, I developed this process working in corporate life to stop the ages old tug-of-war over ownership of the creative process between the internal clients (other silos & departments) and the marketing/creative department. I kept refining it over years and years and started to call it "Identity Therapy" because clients really got into it and had a story to tell, so I'd just sit and listen.

It's not painful, although a few tears may be shed. ;-) Wanna have a seat on the RDQLUS couch? There's much I'd like to know about you.