Daniel Will-Harris writes a great piece about working with a designer. It nicely describes how a client should manage it’s relationship to a design firm.
Choose your designer carefully
Leave your preconceived notions at the door
Tell your designer what you want to say rather than how you want it to look
Be clear about specific features you need
Do your research and be specific about your needs
Make sure your message and content are clear
Design for your customer, not yourself, your friends or your colleagues
Have good reasons for your preferences
Don’t design by committee
Don’t tell your designer how to design
li>You can’t please all the people all the time
- Trust your designer