Posts Tagged ‘Client Relations’

The true value of a design education or any education for that matter is its ability to teach you not facts, but how to learn. For a graphic designer that means learning to ask “why.” Why is this design effective? Why is the headline in that typeface? Why did the designer choose to use a combination of red and purple? Asking why is the foundation of any successful critique, and explaining why is what forces designers to think critically about their work.

In an article entitled “10 ways to battle site bureaucracy” Paul Boag, explains how asking why is the most powerful and simple way to avoid opposition towards a design by clients. Paul lists three reasons “why” is powerful, (#9 in the list) to which I agree, and is why I wanted to support his advice.

With the TED conference in full swing last week, I found myself reviewing the site once again and watching some of the presentations that really resonated with me in the past. One such presentation was Design is in the details by Paul Bennett of IDEO. Paul’s presentation focuses on how small details shape the experience, however it is the last section his presentation that really stuck with me.

Earlier this week I stumbled upon the article “Design for Now” on the Blue Flavor Blog. The article describes a common situation within the web design profession, the need for sites that are “designed flexible for the future.” Tom explains how reading this is creative briefs, requirements documents, or project explanations is his least favorite thing, and I agree. This has to be one of the most frustrating things that a designer can deal with when trying to work on a website. Once discussions have headed down this route the potential for lackluster work arises.

Designers constantly get challenged; you have no doubt heard a number of these challenges:

Why can’t you make the logo bigger?
Are you sure the type should be soo small?
What if we added a couple of drop shadows to make it “pop” more?

Clients are very quick to challenge designers on their choices, however the doing the opposite is often met with tension. Because of this tension, some designers eventually give up and let the client dictate the work. We all know the perils of getting into the habit of letting clients dictate projects, however what about taking this scenario a step further and outright challenging our clients?

One thing that really drives me nuts is the unfair way that non-designers judge our work. I have talked about why you should set expectations for your clients and question them, however I have not touched on how to judge whether a project is successful or not. This is often a hard thing to do because the client may not actually know what it would take for a project to be successful. Unfortunately clients often think that a project is successful when the end result looks the way that they may have imagined it. Usually this result is not one that will actually have an impact on their business objectives. So how do we find out what will have an impact?

One thing that I truly love about Mad Men season 1 has been the amount of focus given towards pitching clients and maintaining good working relationships. The character Don Draper is portrayed as an insanely creative copywriter but it is in front of clients where he really shines. His no bullshit take it or leave it mentality (see the embedded clip below around 37 seconds in) towards Sterling Cooper’s work is so inspiring that I too want to dismiss clients who are “non-believers.” If still you don’t know what I am talking about I highly suggest you quickly rent the first season, and check out this article on design observer for reference.

Every designer knows what I am referencing, those little changes that clients ask for at the last minute. They are requests that are not thought out or followed by reason, yet they must be completed in order to reach a sign off or finish the project. You have heard it numerous times before “I am not sure if this would work, but can you just quickly try making the copy more bolder.” Let’s take a second to discuss why this is not an ideal situation to be in, and actually how insanely counter productive they can be.

Maybe you have been in the same position as me lately, picture the following example. Your potential client comes to you looking for a website. They express their concerns regarding being able to update the content, the people they would like to reach, and what they would like their site to accomplish. However they have not mentioned the other majority of the project. Who will be responsible for organizing all of their company’s information, and who will be responsible for the upkeep? While the client is convinced that they need a website, they do not realize the commitment that a site can be.

Inevitably in every designer’s career there comes a point where you no longer feel that a client is a fit with your business. If you have never had to fire a client, there is sure to be a time when you will. This is unfortunately just a part of doing business that is pretty much unavoidable. Even the strictest screening of potential clients is not 100% fail safe. Organizations can restructure, move, or corporate cultures can change. I tend to look at the client / vendor relationship as a “team”. When one side feels the need to control the other, then usually this is the time where you decide whether the relationship can be salvaged or it‘s time to move on. But how do we handle this potentially awkward situation?