A client arrives and says they need a rebrand. They almost never need a rebrand. What they need is to decide something they have been avoiding, and a rebrand is the socially acceptable way to book time for that decision.

What the brief usually means

“We need to look more premium” generally means the sales team is discounting. “We need to appeal to a younger audience” generally means the product has not changed in six years. “We need consistency” almost always means two directors disagree and neither will say so in the meeting.

We spend the first week disagreeing politely. It is the most valuable week of the project and the hardest one to put on an invoice.