Design Jones

Many designers strive to deliver high quality work. Chances are that it’s mentioned at least once on every agency or freelancers ‘about us’ page. We all like to think it’s one of our core values and yet everybody is human and at some stage mistakes or familiarity can creep in. So how can we ensure we deliver top quality, on time, every time?

I like to say that my work never compromises on quality. That the experience I’ve gained and the time I devote to projects sets it apart from the crowd. Hopefully that is true but is quality something that can be learned? Is it an attitude or are there concrete ways to make sure every project is as good as it can possibly be?

Recently I was challenged by a minor text error in an internal project. It was probably something that only 10% of readers might pick up on, but I knew it was there. I couldn’t in good conscience say that I had a keen eye for detail and devotion to delivering work without compromise whilst allowing mistakes like that to go unchecked. A reprint swiftly followed.

I was alarmed that something like that could happen. I spent some time thinking through my design processes and the checks that I use to ensure the highest quality. I thought I’d share them with you – hope you find them helpful.
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I’ve had the pleasure of working on several identity creation projects in the last couple of months. Each has been challenging in it’s own way and that’s why I love working on them – the process of solving unique problems.

There have also been a few bumps in the road that have helped me clarify the reasons why I have my own design process, why I only present a single solution and why certain jobs take time and need that time to develop and be refined.

Design Cubicle have a really interesting interview with Steve Jobs, discussing the relationship with his designer Paul Rand who created the Apple logo. What is clear is how much value Steve placed on his designer getting to know the organisation, developing a realtionship of trust and most importantly that the designer was a business problem solver first and foremost.

You can view the interview HERE. There are also another couple of articles I found both helpful and reassuring: ‘Ten logo design tips from the field’ and ‘Do you want fries with that logo’.

As part of my next student workshop, I’m planning to talk through the process of taking a good brief from a client and leading them through the process of working with a designer. It’s important to realise that most clients are not acustomed to being a creative partner in say a branding project or website design and build.

Most people will only commission a project like that once in their career so it’s vital that they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Obviously in order to lead anyone, you need to understand the journey. Vandaley Design recently published an interesting article on developing a client process (HERE). Whilst it focuses on web work and is at times quite loose when it comes to pricing I think it’s a good framework.

Every designer has a process and a way of working that they believe is best and suits themselves and their clients. What is really critical however, is standardising those processes and sharing them with your client. Not only does it take the mystery out of the creative process it also helps to build trust which is so key to any partnership. Obviously some processes are too in-depth but it’s a good idea to create a client-facing version to answer any questions that they may have. Things like ‘What deliverables can I expect?’, ‘What is the usual timeframe?’ and ‘What do you need from me to create a successful solution?’

Just one of the good habits I picked up from Ollie Leggett, director of IE, was always keeping ‘the black book’ to hand. Always there for quick notes, lists, sketches and thoughts – they have been invaluable. I’ve kept every single one and often refer back to them. It’s fascinating to look back through the last 7 years at least and read your thoughts on a certain project. My books tend to fill up fast as I am a compulsive list writer but the other day I found this fascinating collection of someone else’s black books HERE. Far more visually atractive and handwriting that can actually but read by others, I highly recomend a quick look!

Design agency, Airside, have published an interesting couple of articles of their blog. They provide an insight into their design process for their recent project ‘Airplot’ for Greenpeace. I love seeing other designers skethwork and thought processes but what I really love is the aviodance of using the computer and the fact that they have a ‘make & do’ room! You can read about the ideas process HERE and the rollout of the design HERE.

(via Logo Design Love)

This morning I read an interesting blog from Seth Godin (Marketing Expert & Best Selling Author) on what it means to be creative. I found it encouraging to my interpretation of the ‘creative’ process affirmed. It’s not flying all over the place thinking whacky thoughts and hoping to land at a groundbreaking solution to a problem. There is a method or creative process that works and leads to new ideas.

I’d love to quote the whole article but you can read it HERE.

My Dad passed me an article from Harvard Business Review last week on the value of great people over a great idea. Ed Catmull, Pixar Co-founder and Studio President discusses the way’s in which Pixar operate and promote a creative community. Giving real life examples of why they value people over all other aspects, this article was fascinating to read given that so much of us in the creative world place such high value on ideas.

“Creativity must be present at every level of every artistic and technical part of the organization…The view that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people is rooted in a misconception of creativity.”

“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they’ll screw it up. But if you give a mediocre idea to a great team, they’ll make it work.”

Ed doesn’t believe that Pixar’s success has anything to do with luck, rather in their adherence in a set of principles and practices for managing talent and risk. Creating a community in the true sense of the word. Those principles are;

1. Everyone must have the freedom to communicate with anyone.

“The impulse to tightly control the process is understandable… [but] the most efficient way to deal with problems is to trust people to work it out with each other”

2. It must be safe for everyone to offer ideas.

“We’re constantly showing work in progress internally… Showing unfinished work each day liberates people to take risks and try new things because it doesn’t have to be perfect… We make a concerted effort to make it safe to criticize… regardless of discipline or position.”

“Managers need to learn that it’s OK to walk into a meeting and be surprised”

3. We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community.

“We strongly encourage our technical artists to publish their research. Publishing may give away ideas, but it keeps us connected with the academic community. This connection is worth far more that the ideas we may have revealed: It helps us attract exceptional talent and reinforces the belief throughout the company that people are more important than idea.”

Click here to read the full article.