Defining Stakeholders

stake·hold·er
ˈstākˌhōldər/Submit
noun
1.
(in gambling) an independent party with whom each of those who make a wager deposits the money or counters wagered.
2.
a person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business.

This google definition helps us to get an idea of what a stakeholder is, but, in design, ultimately a stakeholder is defined by those assessing the situation at hand. For instance, if your’e designing a logo for a multinational corporation, your stakeholders would be much different than if you were doing business cards for a local bake shop. A stakeholder can be anyone and often times stakeholders are more widespread and prevalent than you as a designer would guess. How important it is to know one’s audience!