Studio Ilse on why every brief starts with a walk
The Antwerp studio swaps kick-off meetings for long walks with clients, and the notebooks prove it works.
Ilse Verbeek founded her studio after a decade inside larger agencies. Today the team of four works for cultural venues, makers and a growing number of public services across Flanders.
Why walk instead of meeting?
People talk differently when they are side by side rather than across a table. On a walk, clients stop performing the brief and start telling stories about their work. I take notes on a small pad and we usually end up somewhere relevant: a competitor’s shop, a building they love, the bus stop their customers use.
What happens to those notes?
They go straight onto the wall. Every project gets a corkboard and nothing is digital for the first two weeks. It keeps us from jumping to logos too early.
On a walk, clients stop performing the brief and start telling stories about their work.
What do you wish more clients knew?
That a good identity is mostly decisions, not decoration. If they bring us clear decisions, we can make them beautiful.
