“Can I push back on this?” It’s a question many clients think, but don’t always say out loud.
Because challenging your agency can feel… well, awkward. You don’t want to offend, derail the project or come across as difficult. But at the same time, you know something isn’t quite landing, you’re unsure about a direction or you simply need more clarity.
So, how should you approach it?
First things first: it shouldn’t feel awkward
And if it does, something’s already off. A good agency relationship is built on openness. You should feel comfortable asking questions, challenging ideas and voicing concerns without worrying about how it might be received. And most of the time, challenge doesn’t come from a negative place. It comes from care. Care about the outcome is something we both have in common, so you’re on safe ground.
We’re all ears
Sometimes something misses the mark. That could be down to a gap in understanding, a misread brief or simply a difference in perspective. (Thankfully, not very often in Camp Silverback, but it can happen.)
The important part is how it’s handled.
From our side, it’s about ownership and responsibility. From your side, it’s about honesty and clarity. When both are in play, challenge becomes productive rather than uncomfortable. Together, we can quickly settle on a resolution and move forward with the work without losing progress or pace.
Where do I start?
Challenging your agency doesn’t need to be a big moment. It can be as small as a single question or even a single word.
“Can we explore another route?”
“I’m not sure this feels right.”
“What’s the rationale here?”
That’s often all it takes to open up a more useful conversation. Sometimes, what looks like a bigger issue is actually something small. A piece of terminology, a design choice, or even a misunderstanding of where you are in the process.
Clarity beats assumption
A lot of this friction comes from language. Terms like “content”, “back-end” or “build” can mean very specific things to an agency, but not always to a client. The same goes for our own stages: Discover, Design, Develop and Deliver.
For example, you might be expecting high-fidelity wireframes (ie: visual mockups) but what you actually receive is more of a skeleton layout of a page.
Neither side is wrong. It just needs aligning. So if something isn’t clear, ask. If something feels off, say. As for us? We will always try to be clear on deliverables and what means what.
We’re currently working on a gorilla of all glossaries to overcome misunderstandings around agency terminology. Coming to The Jungle any day now.
What “challenge” actually looks like in identity and design
In practical terms, you might be challenging a brand identity that feels a little too safe and asking to explore something bolder, or questioning whether a homepage layout is guiding users clearly enough.
It could be pushing back on a piece of copy that doesn’t quite nail your tone of voice, or asking why a certain colour, typeface or visual style has been chosen.
On the digital side, it might be querying a user journey, a navigation decision or how a feature will actually be built and used. None of these are confrontational, they’re constructive. They help us refine, sharpen and ultimately deliver something that feels right for you and your audience.
Ultimately, better questions = better outcomes
The best challenges are the ones that move the work forward. Remember that. Because no single project is a straight line beginning to end. The brief can evolve, new research can come to light, opinions may change. Ideas, can, well… ideate. (You can read more about this in FAQ 09: “What happens when we fall out of scope?”)
This is where strategic questions come into play. Questions that, no matter where we are on the meandering path of the project itself, keep us coming back to the overarching objectives.
- What problem is this solving?
- How does this align with our goals?
- Is there another direction we should consider?
- What would happen if we pushed this further?
These kinds of questions don’t slow things down, they bring us back on track. And they work both ways. We’ll challenge you too, when it’s needed.
Yes, we will challenge you too
A good agency doesn’t just deliver what’s asked for. It looks for what’s needed.
That might mean introducing a wildcard idea, pushing a concept further than expected or gently questioning a direction that doesn’t quite stack up. Not to be difficult, but to create those “wow” moments. The ones that elevate the work beyond the brief.
That balance is important. You should feel confident challenging us, and equally confident that we’ll challenge you when it matters.
So, how should we challenge our agency?
Don’t overthink it. Challenge us openly, honestly and early. Send an email, jump on a call or simply bring it up in our next catchup.
Ask questions, share concerns and don’t worry about getting the wording perfect. If it comes from a place of care, it will land the right way. If you’re unsure of something (anything!) then simply ask.
Because in the jungle, silence isn’t always a sign that everything’s fine.
If that sounds like your kind of partnership, you know where we are. Get in touch.
Do you have a particular question you’d like answered? We know it’s a jungle out there, so we’d love to shed some light on the full agency process. Submit your question here…
