There wasn't really one big moment where I suddenly felt, okay, Kayr has made it. It happened progressively, one client at a time. Then, we started getting repeat projects from much bigger clients. At first, of course, we were happy to get the opportunity, but at the same time I always had this question in my head: “Are we actually good enough to handle this?”
Our agency is growing. Sitting in meetings with corporate teams that have been around much longer than we have feels empowering. Sometimes the projects involve different departments, many stakeholders, a tight timeline and a lot of information to understand.
Then one project became another project.
They came back for another corporate material, another exhibition, another project. And slowly I realised, they are not coming back just because they like our design. They trust how we think. That was quite a big realisation for me.
Because when you run a creative business, sometimes you think you need to prove yourself by showing the best design, the nicest portfolio, or how creative you can be. But I learned that clients also want someone who can understand their problem, give them advice, and help them make the right decision.
That also changed how I see growth for Kayr.
There’s no need to become the biggest agency. I want us to become a team that clients can rely on, especially when the work is complicated and they need someone to really think together with them. We are still building and still learning a lot along the way. But every time a client comes back and says, “We have another project,” it still means something to me. Getting trusted once can be an opportunity.
When they trust you again, I think that one you have earned. I think what that experience taught me is that our value is not only about what we deliver at the end, but also the process of getting there.
Before this, I used to think our responsibility was quite simple. The client gives us the brief, we understand it, design something good and deliver. But over time I realised sometimes the brief itself needs to be discussed first. Sometimes we need to ask more questions. Sometimes we need to advise the client that maybe there is a better way to do it. And sometimes we have to tell them that what they are asking for might look good, but it may not actually work for their audience.
This is where my understanding of design changed quite a lot. We are not here just to make things look pretty. Of course, the design still needs to look good. Craft is very important to us. But if people cannot understand the message, if the information is confusing, or if the design doesn't solve what the client actually needs, then I don't think we did our job properly.
So now, we spend more time understanding the why behind the project. What are they trying to achieve? Who needs to understand this? What is the actual problem we are trying to solve? And sometimes the best thing we can give the client is not a design yet. It can be advice, a different direction, or even telling them they don't need certain things.
I think that is also how the trust from our clients slowly grew. They don't only come to us asking, “Can you design this?” Sometimes they come and ask, “What do you think we should do?” For me, that difference means a lot. Because it means we are no longer just delivering design. We are part of the thinking process too.
And I think that is something I will remember for a long time.
