Why Clarifying the Vision Saves Everyone Time

Many moons ago, I worked with a client who needed a logo.
“Navy blue,” they said.
Simple enough. I designed the logo using what just about anyone would consider navy blue.
“No,” they said. “It’s not right. Navy blue.”
I clarified. “Like Blue Angels Navy?”
“Yes.”

I adjusted. Tried again.
Still wrong.
So I took the guesswork out and sent them a hex color chart.
“Pick the one that looks right to you.”

I kid you not, they sent me a shade of green.
Not teal. Not blue-green. Green.

Here’s the point:
You can’t trust that your internal picture matches theirs—until you get something visual, concrete, and specific on the table.

That could be:

• A hex code
• A style reference
• A mockup
• A written tone sample

Whatever helps turn vague direction into shared understanding.

It’s not just design, either.
The same disconnect shows up in writing and content work all the time.
One person’s “simple” is another’s “too plain.” One person’s “fun” is someone else’s “off-brand.”
That’s why alignment up front matters.
If someone says “egg,” you might think chicken.
They might mean ostrich.

Avoid the mismatch. Ask better questions early:

• Do you have examples of what you like?
• Can you show me what “modern,” “clean,” or “fun” looks like to you?
• What do you not want this to feel like?

Words aren’t always shared language.
Context matters.
A few early clarifiers can save you hours of edits later.