I came across a rather interesting article by Thomas Vanderwhal regarding a long-standing issue with the ad business. The article is titled Designing with a Solution is the Problem, and it covers the ever-present problem of clients asking you to design a solution to a problem they aren’t willing to, or cannot show you (cart before the horse). If you thought design is about making an ad look cool, you obviously have no grasp of the business, and hopefully this article will illustrate this concept for you. Also, be sure to check out the other article Thomas linked to, Be Cooler by Design.