The best designers are intuitively strategic thinkers. But experience shows that such craftspeople are few and far between. When clients buy design without strategic direction they run a very high risk of getting it wrong.
Design is fundamentally about solving complex communication puzzles.
Most brands will have several levels of hierarchy to manage. It is important to set off in the right direction from the outset, to ensure the design investment is future proofed.
It is therefore important to have a good understanding of the brand's world and how design will have an impact. This usually requires an audit of all the existing communication channels to understand what works well and what doesn't.