An account executive rushed into the studio, throwing his hands into the air and letting out an anguished cry. His client was in a boardroom, unable to decide which city to use for an international conference. They wanted to avoid clichés, such as the Eiffel Tower for Paris or Big Ben for London, and were interested in Lisbon, but remained uncertain about how to incorporate a defining icon of the city into their conference identity.
I jumped onto the internet, searched for images of Lisbon landmarks, and found several interesting options. Armed with a sketch pad and a few marker pens, I headed into the boardroom. I listened carefully to the client, and in front of them, I excitedly sketched my interpretation of an iconic landmark. Within a few minutes, I presented the visual, and after just fifteen minutes, I had convinced them of a design. Their minds were made up.