Designers Gotta Design
Don’t you just hate it when your clients don’t let you do your job?
It has always been difficult for me to find the comfortable medium between being an expressive, freeform artist and a critical, problem-solving designer.
The struggle between wanting to create without boundaries and being a yes-man.
A ‘yes-man’? You ask.
Well, yes. To a degree it does feel as though this is precisely what clients expect of their designers. Particularly, it seems, for those clients whose designers are also ‘artists’.
This really isn’t to say that every client is like this. Some are so in awe of your ability that they tell you those magic words during your briefing:
"I just want you to have creative reign, tbh!"
★★★★★
"I just want you to have creative reign, tbh!" ★★★★★
Fuck yes! The words ring around my head in a little dance. These are quite literally the best words to hear whether you’re an artist or a graphic designer. And this is precisely the point of my article here.
Remember when I said I wanted to create without boundaries?
In all honesty, no boundaries do actually scare the fuck outta me; especially creatively.
Those same clients who come to me with the magic words usually also have some brief specifics that help guide the project otherwise. It’s like the difference between knowing: the brand, audience and context you’re designing for and not.
There’s no point to any ‘design’ that is made without any of those things in mind.
Truly I don’t know how anything could be called ‘design’ without the process of its creation including careful thought about the outcome’s positioning in the world. That’s at bare minimum, too.
The role of design and a designer are crucial.
We solve problems in the real world through creative solutions. If you come to a designer to solve your problem - maybe giving them all of your ‘answers’ isn’t the way your relations for the project should start. Those perspective answers might be helpful for them to gauge where you’re at but they quickly narrow the possibilities for any play or true exploration. A designers skill and ability is undermined when this happens.
By directing a designers process, you’re dimming potential, innovative ideas for yourself, your business or brand.
For instance, your designer might come up with 3 ideas.
1 idea follows the answers you gave them initially.
1 idea follows their logical thought-process.
1 idea follows their heart and goes a little wild.
Now imagine you only let them take the first route without knowing how they might have solved your problem for you. Never hearing those other ideas. Even allowing them to be formulated. Creatively. Critically. Fully-engaged and calculated.
It’s okay to have some preferences. Some boundaries. God, they really do help a bunch!
An example of just letting your designer ‘get on with it’.
My partner (Oliver) recently came to me with his design specifics for his new detailing business. Clean, professional, upper-market and something with a nod to German-tech influence. Basically, in not as many words he said “don’t make it sound shit like most other detailing business names out there” — have faith in ye. When he came to me he didn’t even have a name at that point.
This challenge meant I could incorporate his ideas with all of my own know-how.
I mean, Oliver was always going to let me do my thing. You know though, having a ‘client’ who gives their input; constructive feedback and observation when needed and just lets you work your magic. That’s priceless.
If there’s anything you take away from this blog post, let it be that:
designers know what’s up ⤴
We usually know how to best solve your problem and you should trust us.
I hope you enjoyed the read.
Catch y’all in another life.
Lex 💚
