chapter 6 UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE designing for people With an increased appreciation for audience needs, designers are taking steps to better understand audience motivations and behaviors. Before sketching or designing, designers are seeking out audience insights by going on shop-alongs to view purchasing behaviors, as well as conducting visual audit analysis and equity asset research. They are asking audiences what the client brand and competitive brands mean to them. They are asking about the graphics, trying to understand what resonates with consumers. All along, they are looking for ways to ground the creative work by incorporating the consumer's perspec- tive into the process. For Luis Fitch, understanding the Hispanic market is at the heart of his business. Fitch is the founder of Minneapolis-based UNO Hispanic Branding, a leading branding and design agency dedicated to building brands that con- nect with Hispanic consumers. Their fi rst step is always to understand the demographic. From there, they are able to determine not only the needs of the audiences they are serving, but also the context and meaning behind the product or services. "We want to know what is the latest trend and what's in their heads," says Fitch. "That's what our clients want. It's more than making it look authentic or making it look Mexican... It's `What is the next big thing?'" 140