🎯 GOAL:
Help the client articulate their brand essence, values, and visual preferences even if they don’t know the right words.
🧩 Step 1: Ask Simple, Relatable Questions
Ditch design jargon. Speak their language.
- “If your brand were a person, how would you describe them?”
(e.g., bold, trustworthy, calm, fun)
→ Designers translate this into tone, fonts, and color palettes. - “What kind of vibe do you want people to get when they see your site?”
(e.g., luxury, friendly, cutting-edge, down-to-earth) - “What are 3 words your ideal customer would use to describe your business?”
→ This reveals how they want to be perceived. - “Who are your top 3 competitors — and what do you like/dislike about their branding?”
→ Helps with positioning and visual differentiation.
🎨 Step 2: Guide with Visual Anchors
People respond better to examples than abstract concepts.
- “Are there any websites you love the look of — even outside your industry?”
→ Collect links or screenshots and ask: What do you like about it? Colors? Fonts? Layout? - “Are there any brands (in any industry) you admire?”
→ Follow-up: What makes their branding stand out to you? - Mood Board Exercise:
Ask them to send a few images or links they like (or hate).
→ If they can’t, you provide 3-5 curated visual styles and ask them to choose.
(Use terms like: “modern/minimalist,” “bold/edgy,” “warm/inviting,” etc.)
🌱 Step 3: Get to Their Why
Their brand is rooted in their values, even if they don’t realize it.
- “Why did you start this business?”
- “What makes your business different from others like it?”
- “What do your best customers say they love about you?”
→ These answers help shape the brand’s mission, voice, and personality.
🧰 Bonus Tricks & Tools
- This or That Game (Rapid-Fire Style): Let them choose between:
- Playful vs. Serious
- Modern vs. Classic
- Minimalist vs. Detailed
- Loud vs. Subtle
- Trendy vs. Timeless
→ Gives you a feel for aesthetic preferences.
- Use Analogies:
“If your business was a car, what kind would it be?”
“If your brand had a soundtrack, what kind of music would play?” - Take note of:
→ Your customer’s tone, passion, or priorities that they don’t express in writing.
📦 What Your Designers Want (and How to Get It)
Here’s what designers typically need — and how to get it from a client who’s not a designer:
| Designer Need | How to Extract It |
|---|---|
| Brand personality | “If your brand was a person…” / This-or-that style choices |
| Color preferences | Mood boards, favorite websites, visual preference ratings |
| Logo usage & ideas | Ask what they hate in logos, or if they already have one |
| Typography preferences | Show font pairings, ask “Which of these feels right?” |
| Visual competitors | Ask for 2-3 competitor sites/logos they like/dislike |
💡 Final Tips:
You’re not looking for perfection — you’re looking for patterns. Once you spot themes in their preferences or language, pass that along to your designer as the starting point. Even a vague “make it look clean and modern” can become meaningful when backed by examples and deeper discussion.
Why Use UltimateWB to Build Your Client’s Website?
Once you’ve helped your client articulate their brand style, you need a flexible, easy-to-use platform that brings it to life. That’s where UltimateWB comes in.
🎨 Style Your Site with Precision — No Coding Required
UltimateWB includes a powerful Built-In Styles Manager, making it easy to:
- Create and save different designs and switch between them.
- Update your site-wide color palette, fonts, and layout options in just a few clicks.
- Easily test new looks.
🖌️ Effortlessly Customize Colors, Fonts & More
UltimateWB makes brand consistency simple:
- Choose from a wide range of fonts and easily integrate custom fonts like Google Fonts or even upload your own via custom coding -> How can I use a Custom Font on my website?
- Use the color picker or enter hex codes to match your brand’s exact look and feel.
- Set styles for different sections like headers, menus, buttons, and text — no guesswork or developer needed.
🧰 Perfect for Designers & Non-Techies Alike
Whether you’re building the site yourself or passing it on to a client:
Save time tweaking styles and spend more time focusing on your client’s goals.
The intuitive admin panel gives you full control without needing to touch code.
Are you ready to design & build your own website? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.
