Design Postpartum
After recently giving birth to a bouncing baby website, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the whole design process...a rubber meets road look. Does what I've been writing about for the last few months have life, or is it just a pipe dream? Here are some post partum thoughts:
1] “Dumb clients are dumber than you, smart clients are smarter than you.” This is my favorite Tibor Kalman quote. Fortunately for me, my client at Advanced Recovery is smarter than me—much smarter about both business and design. I'm not just saying that because I'm worried about him reading this article. My client, Eric Buechel, who I also consider a friend, started out as an illustrator and worked in NYC for the big advertising agencies. Then he founded his own advertising firm and was wildly successful by most measuring sticks. Eric then left the firm to follow his vision of computer recycling and salvaging at a time when no one had a clue that computer monitors were an environmental issue. The rest is history. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated by Eric's credentials despite the fact he's the most down to earth, considerate person you'll ever meet. He gave me complete creative freedom, took risks that few CEOs would take, and immediately understood the impact of design on his company. From him I've learned about caring for people, taking risks to pursue your passion and trusting the people who you work with. Look for clients that are smarter than you. This leads to me to:
2] God will bring you the right clients at the right time. Honest. Either he'll do what he said he'll do, or he won't. The Advanced Recovery site is proof positive for me that God keeps his word. This is important. If you actually believe this enough to put it into practice, you won't have to be a slave to work (or finding work). You can choose work that you have a passion for doing. For the Advanced Recovery site, my passion was getting to work with someone like Eric…that's rare in these parts.
3] Allow double the time you think you need when trying new things. No, triple the time. I built computerrecycling.us on pure CSS and XHTML. Don't let anyone fool you, CSS is complicated. Ok, maybe not as complicated as aircraft carriers, but you'll lose a few nights sleep along the way. Try something you don't think you can do in design. You might surprise yourself.
4] Don't over design. I was tempted, and maybe stumbled in a few spots on the site. For the most part though, I think the design carried the content well.
5] Start conversations with design. Let a real voice come through that can speak to the heart. Ruthlessly stifle corporate speak and adver-lingo as best you can.
6] Be dangerous with your design. Most Advanced Recovery customers can't believe it is a computer recycling business site. And they like it.
7] Never shortchange your research and analysis phase of the design process. I don't usually start design concepts until after 2 weeks worth of intense brand research, competitive analysis and a boat load of documentation. Clients often wonder if they will ever see any creative concepts. Then I put all the documentation aside for a day or two and let my mind and heart chew on them. When I start putting ink on paper, I go from my gut based on what I've subconsciously there.
And finally, spend time with your family and friends when the project is over. Chances are they haven't seen you in a while. My family and I are going caving in the morning with 15 kids. Should be a lot less painful than CSS! Have you given birth lately to any design projects that you'd care to share with us? What did you learn?
1] “Dumb clients are dumber than you, smart clients are smarter than you.” This is my favorite Tibor Kalman quote. Fortunately for me, my client at Advanced Recovery is smarter than me—much smarter about both business and design. I'm not just saying that because I'm worried about him reading this article. My client, Eric Buechel, who I also consider a friend, started out as an illustrator and worked in NYC for the big advertising agencies. Then he founded his own advertising firm and was wildly successful by most measuring sticks. Eric then left the firm to follow his vision of computer recycling and salvaging at a time when no one had a clue that computer monitors were an environmental issue. The rest is history. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated by Eric's credentials despite the fact he's the most down to earth, considerate person you'll ever meet. He gave me complete creative freedom, took risks that few CEOs would take, and immediately understood the impact of design on his company. From him I've learned about caring for people, taking risks to pursue your passion and trusting the people who you work with. Look for clients that are smarter than you. This leads to me to:
2] God will bring you the right clients at the right time. Honest. Either he'll do what he said he'll do, or he won't. The Advanced Recovery site is proof positive for me that God keeps his word. This is important. If you actually believe this enough to put it into practice, you won't have to be a slave to work (or finding work). You can choose work that you have a passion for doing. For the Advanced Recovery site, my passion was getting to work with someone like Eric…that's rare in these parts.
3] Allow double the time you think you need when trying new things. No, triple the time. I built computerrecycling.us on pure CSS and XHTML. Don't let anyone fool you, CSS is complicated. Ok, maybe not as complicated as aircraft carriers, but you'll lose a few nights sleep along the way. Try something you don't think you can do in design. You might surprise yourself.
4] Don't over design. I was tempted, and maybe stumbled in a few spots on the site. For the most part though, I think the design carried the content well.
5] Start conversations with design. Let a real voice come through that can speak to the heart. Ruthlessly stifle corporate speak and adver-lingo as best you can.
6] Be dangerous with your design. Most Advanced Recovery customers can't believe it is a computer recycling business site. And they like it.
7] Never shortchange your research and analysis phase of the design process. I don't usually start design concepts until after 2 weeks worth of intense brand research, competitive analysis and a boat load of documentation. Clients often wonder if they will ever see any creative concepts. Then I put all the documentation aside for a day or two and let my mind and heart chew on them. When I start putting ink on paper, I go from my gut based on what I've subconsciously there.
And finally, spend time with your family and friends when the project is over. Chances are they haven't seen you in a while. My family and I are going caving in the morning with 15 kids. Should be a lot less painful than CSS! Have you given birth lately to any design projects that you'd care to share with us? What did you learn?
posted by fivemcclungs at 12:22 AM
5 Comments:
Your thoughts are inspiring, Frank. So thank you for that.
As for new projects, I've found that old friends in design, when not given the old "hard sell" come up with ingenious ways to use my illustration work.
One guy took my suggestion to produce a line of custom Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah packages of invitations, notes, etc. I did two for free for his children (one boy, one girl) and the response was so positive we're planning on doing a new business venture based on graphics of spiritual values and tradition.
Another designer friend called me up out-of-the-blue to offer a needed cover assignment.
One little book has been a wellspring of insight about work and abundance, and I'd like to recommend it -
"The Little Money Bible" by Stuart Wilde. (I know, I know, the title is kinda corny, but the thoughts are wonderful.)
Your comments left me with an interesting thought...artists often show their work on its own. Designers, not so much. Maybe this is because our work gets "shown" through the client we work with?
Will have to check out "The Little Money Bible" by Wilde. Thanks for the tip.
Great article as well as insight. Thank you. One clarification: the correct spelling is postpartum (no spaces or dashes). And your 7 thoughts are right on the money. Point #7 is absolutely the hardest one to get across to the client, especially with all the design hacks out there willing to do what we do for far below minimum wage or even for free (it's for my portfolio, they say).
How do you convince a client that they'll get what they pay for without insulting their "business" savvy, because as far as they're concerned, if they had the time they could fire up some microsoft "wizard" and do it themselves. It's the "what's the big deal" attitude. And unfortunately, because of these low-bidding hacks that eventually mark up the project's invoice for "extra" work done, we as designers seem to have been clumped together with that of other low, wage-earning occupations.
I doubt these same people would ever think to negotiate a price with their doctors or lawyers or accountants, et al. We have somehow been clumped into something no more valuable or pleasant then the placenta (trying to keep your theme going here!).
Thanks for the tip on postpartum. Spelling was not my best subject in school.
I do have a question though about your comment "desing hack". What constitues a "hack" versus a professional designer? What are the distinctions? Thoughts?
The difference between a hack and a professional designer is the number of minutes it takes before they cave in to client demands. Not, no not really! LOL. I'm somewhat joking. For the hack, it's instanteously. For the professional , it's after several nearly persuasive emails or phone calls trying to turn the tide of a stonewalled opinion.
Now there is a third type, the professional who magically persuades the client that it was his/her idea to begin with.
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