I give every new client a 1-page design brief before the first call.

I give every new client a 1-page design brief before the first call. Most designers skip this.

Before any kickoff meeting, I send a Notion page with five questions. Who are the users. What does success look like in 90 days. What has already been tried. Who makes the final call. What is the one thing that absolutely cannot ship late.

Most of the time, the client realizes they do not agree internally on at least two answers. That conversation happens before I bill a single hour, not three weeks into the project.

This one habit has saved me from scope creep, misaligned expectations, and the classic "this is not what we meant" moment more than any contract clause ever did.

Create a Notion page with those five questions. Send it to your next client before the kickoff. The answers will tell you more about the project than any brief deck.