That typeface is too evil! What do <i>you</i> do when you've creeped out the gatekeepers?

Comment

Comment by Stephen Smith on August 28, 2008 at 6:02pm

Good lord. I just had to go through 5 pages to sign in and join just to leave a comment. Sheesh.
I would have bailed but I really liked your article and want to talk to you about my own new site and its logo. You offered to design a t-shirt for Naomi, I'd like to hear what you think about this http://tinyurl.com/63rzgx. Please e-mail to stephen at hdbizblog dot com

Comment by Paul Edwards on August 23, 2008 at 11:41am

Kristin,
This is a terrific discussion.

One other pet peeve of mine that truly undermines great creative work is the designer's lack of attention to other details. A couple of examples to illustrate:
1) Failure to include a return address on a great post card design
2) Incomplete logos or TM/ (R) symbols
3) Failure to proof read copy carefully to make sure copy makes sense and is grammatically correct

If you are a great creative designer who lacks business understanding, strength in spelling and grammar, then take a few extra minutes to have a co-worker review your work in these areas.

Paul Edwards
CEO
FormStore Incorporated
pedwards@formstore.com
ID Card & Digital Print Specialists

Comment by Paul Edwards on August 19, 2008 at 4:53pm

Kristin,
Your comment below is "spot on". It all comes back to communication and relationship.


And Paul, you're right, an executive client's time is precious and very expensive, but don't forget: so too is a good creative's*. And a good creative would never disregard an executive client's goals and input, but unfortunately, many otherwise good executives think we do little more than "make it pretty," or worse, let their own personal tastes interfere with what has been painstakingly researched to best meet the project's objectives.

Comment by Kristin Greenberg on August 19, 2008 at 3:22pm

Great comments everyone! I'm excited to see that this has opened up a dialog, and there is some really great advice being given here. Rich ... great ideas ... you should expand your tips into a blog post in its own right!

I fully agree that, in this profession, to be successful you must be a communicator above all else. Paul, believe me, I understand your pain at dealing with those designers who are so focused on their art that they dilute, distill - or worse - disregard the message. I stumbled into design after being a writer for several years, and I remember well the frustrations of working with "artists" who didn't even consider the content of the piece. I pride myself on creating materials that serve to satisfy not only my artsy nature, but the message and - most importantly - the audience as well. And after the launch, I gather as much feedback and info I can to see what went right, what went wrong, and what might work better for next time.

And Paul, you're right, an executive client's time is precious and very expensive, but don't forget: so too is a good creative's*. And a good creative would never disregard an executive client's goals and input, but unfortunately, many otherwise good executives think we do little more than "make it pretty," or worse, let their own personal tastes interfere with what has been painstakingly researched to best meet the project's objectives.

Lindsay, I'm glad you brought up the legality of typefaces ... In fact, I've noticed many young designers and copywriters simply don't seem to understand legality/copyright issues ... they seem to assume that just because they can find it on the Web, it's fair game. I had an intern who grabbed an image from a Google search, and then seemed genuinely surprised when I told her she couldn't use it due to copyright laws! She told me that's what they had taught her to do in design school! (Not surprisingly, the design program she attended had troubles later on).

Jenny, you're absolutely right. Ultimately, you have to be willing to bend. And that's absolutely what I'll do in this case. And it's even possible that I'll like the new direction of the project even better, after all, I'm not really the evil type. :)

Comment by Pam Decker on August 19, 2008 at 12:50pm

Another good post. thanks!

Comment by Jennie Doran on August 19, 2008 at 10:10am

Very true, Paul. A BIG part of being a professional designer is being a good business person. Communication is definitely key, no doubt. I guess that is part of my point. For a designer, that part is hardest when you really feel you are on to something good. You have to be willing to bend a bit in the interests of your client's vision even if it goes against your instincts as the creative consultant.

Comment by Paul Edwards on August 19, 2008 at 9:46am

Let me play devil's advocate here and take the client's side for a minute. As a CEO who works frequently with designers and agencies, one of my biggest frustrations is designers who do not listen, understand my business, my customers, and my goals for the piece being designed. Designers can be creative and make suggestions, but remember that the executive client's time is precious and very expensive. Do not go wild off the deep end unless you request permission in advance. You may feel that your ideas and designs may be terrific art pieces, but if they miss meeting the client's objectives, you may be a good designer, but you are a poor communicator and business person.

In the end, it is the communication and partnership between the designer and the client that helps achieve the greatest ROI on the project.

Comment by Jennie Doran on August 19, 2008 at 9:37am

Hi Kristen, great blogs! Keep it up. As a designer I feel your pain. The hardest part about being professional artists for hire, is that we are true artists at the heart. We love and believe in some of our creations just like we might a painting or photo taken for pleasure. That is really hard when you are supposed to sell your ideas to someone who just cannot see it for the great work it is. If you have young kids you surely know what they like. It's a shame your client cannot trust that. It's hard for adults and non-creative professionals to step outside their "traditional" box and see that edgy can really work sometimes. If you've given your best argument for it and they still won't bite, that's all you can do I suppose. Best of luck with it! It sounds like a really great piece.

Comment by Rich Marion on August 19, 2008 at 9:20am

I know the situation you’re in and unfortunately it seems like a no win situation. The customer is paying you to design something they like and that may not be your taste. Do you think Da Vinci enjoyed being commissioned to paint a portrait of the queen? Probably not but he had to make money so he took the gig. I think there are a still a few options you can try.
1) Do what you’re doing, Do one design in your choice and one design more conservative. They will probably choose the more conservative one but at least you were able to keep your create juices flowing.
2) Do only your design and be prepared to sell it. Show other successful edgy designs marketing to the same target audience. Explain why you think the evil type face will work. Show the gatekeeper that you are the one with the knowledge and there is a marketing thought process behind every element in the design. Non creative people really don’t understand how you come up with the design in your mind so they assume you just go with whatever mood you’re in that day. If you can show them where your head is and pull them into your creative process, they may decide to trust your judgment more than their own.
3) This option will not make you a lot of money but if you can pull it off your creative sidewill be happy. Only deal with customers that share your vision. Explain to them and sell them what you’re thinking before you design it and if they decide it's to edgy than tell them to go elsewhere. If they like it, you will have a customer for life. Still provide multiple options they can pick from but only the options you feel are creatively satisfying.

Comment by Lindsay Gray on August 19, 2008 at 7:26am

Speaking of typefaces..evil may not always relate to the appearance but also to who owns the copyright. In today's litigious world it is necessary for the "creator" of the pdf to have paid rights to the typeface. For example, recently we found that the typeface chosen by the end user was not offered in the Adobe suite of typefaces. The result was that our online storefront software provider (Four51) had to purchase the typeface since their software hosted the template (for b-cards, LHH, other print collateral) and our firm had to purchase the same typeface since our software was responsible for the templates that create the pdfs. The additional costs in simply using the chosen typeface was around $500. Had the designer simply chosen a similar style in the Adobe library there would have been no additional charge. We also find that non Adobe fonts are more likely to cause font related imaging errors in the print process (variable printing in particular).

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