SWIPE RIGHT:

DEFINING YOUR IDEAL CLIENT

Written by SHELLEY MCCORMICK

The Business of Choosing Well

Designers spend years refining their aesthetic, their process, and their voice—yet far less time defining who they are actually designing for.

The result is a familiar tension: beautiful work, but misaligned clients. Projects that photograph well, but don’t feel quite right behind the scenes. Timelines stretch. Decisions stall. What should be a creative collaboration becomes a negotiation.

At its core, design is not just about space—it is about relationship.

And yet, many designers approach client selection reactively, saying yes before asking the most important question:

Is this the right fit?

What if we approached client selection the same way we approach design—with intention, clarity, and discernment?

Or more simply:

What if you could swipe right—or left?

THE EXERCISE: DEFINING THE RIGHT FIT

Before reading further, take a moment.

Grab a piece of paper and jot down your responses as you move through the following scenarios. Don’t overthink it—your first instinct is usually the most accurate.

For each scenario, simply note whether it feels like a “Right Fit” or “Not the Right Fit.”

What you begin to notice is a pattern—not just in the types of clients you attract, but in the types of relationships you actually want to build.

Because the right project isn’t only defined by the outcome—

It is defined by who you are creating it with.

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