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Designing through the eyes of a non-designer

Preston D Lee — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:25:23 +0000

Think of your favorite children’s song. Now grab a coworker and tap the tune of the song on their hand while you sing it silently to yourself. After you finish, ask them to name the song you just tapped out. According to “Made to Stick“, a book I recently read about why some ideas thrive and others fail, your friend will most likely not know which song you were tapping. Why? The curse of knowledge.

The designer’s curse of knowledge

The curse of knowledge, as explained in the book mentioned above, theorizes that we all have a hard time helping others understand the things that we have such deep understanding of. In other words, when others “just don’t get it” we can’t understand why. This happens to designers all the time! There is a reason why sites like “Clients from Hell” are so popular–designers love to complain about people who just “don’t get it”.

Time for a paradigm shift

I am calling for a shift in the way we look at the non-design community. Instead of treating them like inferiors, designers should embrace their differences, leverage their assets, and appreciate them for what they do know. A paradigm shift is a completely new way to look at a situation. For years, designers have beleived that those we work with should change the way they think and act to conform to what we, as designers, know is best. In addition to being successful entrepreneurs, marketing gurus, or programming specialists, we want them to be designers too.

But as they say, you won’t know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.

So give it a try: walk a mile in your client’s shoes. Take some time to learn where they are coming from. If they are more knowledgeable in marketing than you are, perhaps their design decision might be best for the project even if it isn’t the prettiest option. Design has never been solely about beauty: we all know that. But it’s time we all take a step back, accept design input from “outsiders” and learn to overcome this curse of knowledge that gets designers so worked up and stressed out.

How to overcome the curse

Many designers know that they need to overcome this curse and make a paradigm shift, but they simply don’t know how. Let me make a few suggestions on how to Design through the eyes of a non-designer.

For your next design project, outsource the work. Take the role of the client and hire another designer to do the work. Try to consider the business objectives of the project and not worry so much about the aesthetics of it all. This will help you see the design process from the opposite perspective.
Spend time with a brand new designer. While they may not understand the best ways to utilize line, color, shape, etc., they often have a grasp on other important considerations when it comes to design.
Ensure your clients understand that you are open to their opinions and, when they make a suggestion to improve a certain aspect of the functionality of design, embrace it, discuss it with them, and–if it’s the best option, implement it.

What other tips can you share?

What other methods have you used or would you suggest to help us all overcome the curse of knowledge, shift our paradigms, and design through the eyes of a non-designer?

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Finding your voice in the design community

Preston D Lee — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:09:28 +0000

If the online design community were an actual city, it would be a thriving metropolis. Complete with skyscrapers, huge arenas and enormous shopping centers. But as in any large community, the value of the community lies in each person–each individual, contributing member.Sometimes you may feel like all the “skyscraper” designers crowd out your little back-alley shop or street-corner soapbox.

Perhaps you blog and tweet trying to share your opinion in the design community but people figuratively walk by, occasionally dropping a few cents into your comment-jar and then get on their way.

So how can you find your voice in the design community and get people talking about your conversations? It all has to do with genuineness and persistence.

Be Genuine

First, be genuine. When you leave comments on a popular design blog, don’t leave the comment just to promote your content or share your business information. Genuinely contribute to the conversation. Offer your view on the subject: if you agree, tell why and then add more insight. If you disagree, explain the opposing view and defend it well.

In addition to being genuine when commenting on other design blogs and content, be genuine in what you write about. If you are genuinely passionate about “75 egg beater designs that will blow your mind”, then blog about it. If you’re just doing it, however, to grow traffic on your site, perhaps you want to rethink your strategy. People are more likely to remember you and contribute to your conversation if you blog about issues that actually mean something to people.

The key to being genuine is to invest your emotions in your content.

Be Persistent

I recently had a colleague who asked me why I thought his blog wasn’t taking off as quickly as he has planned. He had written a guest article on a popular design blog and thought that this would lead to the magical instant growth of his own site. While actions like writing a guest post can have great impacts on your site, they most likely will not fuel your traffic forever. You have to be consistent in contributing information that really matters to the design community.

Becoming someone who has a voice in the design community is not an overnight achievement. It takes months and years to generate your own spot in any community–and the online design community is no different. I personally have been blogging about design for quite a while, and I am just now starting to see real fruits of my labors.

It’s okay to be the little guy

Sometimes I see designers get really worked up because they aren’t generating traffic to their blog or they aren’t popular in the community. The fact of the matter is, it’s okay to be the little guy every once and a while. You most likely got into design in the first place because you like to be a little different: creative and unique. So why are you worried so much about fitting in with all the other designers on the internet? Enjoy what you do and try to realize that blogging about design and being a major player in the design community may not be for everyone. Find your niche and sit back and enjoy it.

A few more tips on finding your voice

Finding your voice in the design community is a complicated challenge. In addition to the information above here a few more tips on finding your voice in the online design community.

Be unique. Don’t write about what everyone else is writing about. Find a unique angle on popular topics.
Claim a niche. GDB is a place where designers can learn to master the “business of design”. What is your special niche?
Give more to the community than you expect to get back. Content that helps designers grow and become better are the most successful.
Instead of tweeting about the temperature of your pizza, when you share content on social media, make sure you share useful and valuable information.

What else have you found to be successful?

Before leaving, share with us your opinion on the matter. What have you done to successfully find your voice in the design industry?

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Design Essentials 2: Originality

Preston D Lee — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:48:15 +0000

This chapter of Design Essentials will cover the topic of Originality in design. Originality is the ability to think independently and creatively.

So why is it so important that we, as designers, are original thinkers? Put most simply, original designs are more effective.

Let’s take a look at the concept of originality in design:

But don’t great designers copy?

It’s been a popular topic of discussion here on GDB and throughout the design community: do great designers really copy other designers’ work? While you may or may not agree that copying other designers is admirable or correct, you have to admit that those designers who spend time copying others’ work become very skilled at the technique.

The difference between originality in technique and originality in thought and execution is enormous. While you may choose to copy other designers’ techniques by following tutorials, mimicking styles, or blatantly copying designs, originality of thought is not something that can simply be copied. It takes years of work and discipline to become an independent and original thinker.

Why a lot of designers lack originality

If it is so important that each design is original, why do we so many copied ideas and duplicated designs? I blame the internet. Don’t get me wrong–I absolutely love the internet. I love how involved designers are on twitter & facebook, on their personal blogs, etc. But I believe that the enormity and popularity of the design community are a two-edge sword. While many sites offer great tutorials on how to be a good designer, their underlying message is frequently misunderstood. You see, as designers follow tutorials, they should learn techniques that will help them as they progress in their career. Instead, a great majority of designers begin to copy, pixel for pixel, every tutorial’s design and claim it as their own.

See the problem?

Designers should strive to create their own creative methods by adapting the techniques and styles demonstrated in design tutorials all around the web.

A few tips on creating original designs

Now that we have briefly discussed the importance originality in design, here are a few great ways you can strive for more originality as a designer (please also add your tips to the list):

Break the rules. Going against the grain and designing something totally unexpected is a great way to be more original. Of course, to break design rules, you have to first have a firm understanding of them.
Broaden your scope of inspiration. A lot of designers tend to focus on one single site or a small group of web sites for their creative inspiration and instruction. Make sure you frequently bookmark and use new sites. Connect via twitter and other avenues to find fresh inspiration in places you have never thought to look before.
Design just for design’s sake. It’s hard to push originality to its fullest when you are limited by particular client restraints. Take an afternoon to just design something for design’s sake and I think you’ll be impressed how creative you can be.
Step outside your comfort zone. You might be comfortable designing for print media; try designing for the web. If you prefer logo design, try something unique like package design. You can be most creative when you aren’t stifled by the rules and guidelines you or others have set up in a particular skill your familiar with.

What else would you add?

That’s all I’ve got for now, but the topic leaves a lot to be discussed. What other originality-boosters would you add to the list above? What are your thoughts on the importance of originality in design? Share your thoughts with the rest of us.

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Turning one-time design projects into continuous income machines

Leighton Taylor — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:24:26 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE by Leighton Taylor – If you would like to write for GDB, contact me.

The best clients are those who return for your services again and again. However, sometimes clients will hire you for one project and then move on with life, and you are stuck continuously searching for new clients.

While it’s great to turn clients into repeat customers, sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Fortunately there are techniques for turning one-time design projects into income machines, so pull up a chair and let’s talk about a few.

Include a credit line in client projects

A credit line is just a small line of text giving you credit for the work you’ve done. Example: in the footer of your client’s website, include the text “Website by YourWebsite.com.” You should ask for your client’s permission to include a credit line, and this is usually negotiated before the client signs a contract.

If your work is excellent, this link should send visitors your way who are interested in hiring you! Even if the original client never hires you again, that link is sending traffic your way, and people who click on the link have already been impressed with your design skills displayed on the client’s website.

Sell your unused work

Let’s say a client hires you to create a logo for his company, and you come up with 3-5 good concepts. The client chooses one, and the rest are forever entombed on your hard drive. Why not bring in some cash by selling the unused concepts?

Brandstack.com allows you to sell logo designs, and logos typically sell for $300-$1500. This can be a great way to bring in cash on the side from work that you’ve already done.

There is some serious debate about whether selling logo concepts like this is a good practice—some valid arguments are made that it devalues the design industry. If you feel that way, you can always stick with selling more generic things like textures and other graphics at GraphicRiver.net.

You can also sell website templates and Wordpress themes at ThemeForest.net. You can sell PSD templates, Wordpress themes, website templates, and lots more. Authors receive commissions of 40-70%, depending on sales volume.

Reuse work

While most of your work cannot be reused for more than one client, certain types can be reused. For example, I recently designed a wedding invitation for a client. Within the next few months, I have several more wedding invitations to design. Once I have 5-10 wedding invitations designed, I can show them to potential customers and resell whichever design the customer likes, simply changing the names and photos. Since I am not selling to a business with competitors, and since I retain rights to the design, I can resell the design over and over.

Get referrals

Similar to the credit line mentioned above, referrals are simply new customers that find you through your one-time client. Referrals differ from the credit line in that they are word-of-mouth, which gives you even more credibility with potential clients.

So how can you encourage your clients to give you referrals? Here are a few quick tips:

Just ask. Ask your clients to send their friends your way.
Give your clients an incentive to refer you (20% discount off next project?)
Consistently follow through and deliver excellent work, and your clients will be excited to recommend you to their friends
Communicate quickly and clearly
Go the extra mile. Impress your clients with your excellent customer service.
If you would like to learn more, you can read more on how to get referrals here.

An additional tip from the editor:

Create passive income

Leighton has made some great suggestions on keeping cash flowing as a designer. I would also like to add the tip of creating passive income. Passive income essentially means that you create something that can be sold over and over again. While many design services are a one-time thing (web site design, logo design, etc) there are many things you can do to gain perpetual income with little or no extra work (comparatively speaking). Leighton eludes to these possibilities is his section titled “Reuse work”. Here are a few more ideas for creating perpetual passive income for designers:

Write and sell an eBook
Design a flash, wordpress, or HTML template
Create and sell premium screencast tutorials
Write for blogs that pay you per pageview

While the design industry doesn’t tend to be one with a lot of possibilities for passive income, be creative. You’ll find a way to do it.

That’s it. What do you think?

So what are you going to do in order to turn your one-time design projects into continuous income machines? Share with us your plans and add suggestions to the ones mentioned above.

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Design Essentials 1: Attention to detail

Preston D Lee — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:42:54 +0000

This chapter of Design Essentials focuses on Attention to Detail and the important role it plays in the design process.
Attention to detail makes for a better experience in any industry. A candy on your pillow at the hotel or a mint with your check at a restaurant makes for a more enjoyable traveling experience. Detectives and law officials know that it is in the details of a crime scene that they find success. Engineers and architects know that the stability of the most enormous structure depends on the integrity of its smallest element.

Why then, should it be any surprise that the integrity and success of your design depends heavily on the attention you give to the details therein? Paying close attention to detail simply makes your design more professional.

In defense of simplicity: Detail vs. Clutter

Now, in promotion of minimalistic and simplistic design, there is a huge difference between attention to detail in design and simply cluttering a design with unnecessary details. Paying attention to the detail of a design means you consciously examine and polish every element of your design–whether simple or complicated. It means you only include what is necessary, and you make necessary elements beautiful. Many designers confuse creativity with clutter (hence the reason why we had to write “How to reduce clutter in web design“). Even cluttered designs can be created without attention to detail. Simplicity is a great way to focus on what is important in your design and then really make it shine.

Beauty is in the details

Many times designers wonder what they can do to make their designs look more professional. Probably 9 times out of the 10 that I get asked “What would make this look better?”, my answer involves a reference to the details. This one of the primary differences between beginning designers and experienced ones. Beginning designers hastily finish a project when it looks good while experienced designers aren’t finished until it looks great.

A few tips

Lastly, I’d like to suggest a few tips (please add yours to the list) that will help any designer learn to more effectively pay attention to the small details of his design.

Thoroughly analyze designs you think are impressive. Make a list of what makes them so great. Study them, talk to the designer, and learn all you can about the process, the motivation, and more.
Zoom. A one word solution that will help you identify flaws or mediocre design lapses. After you have finished your design, zoom in–and I mean close. Look at all the spacing, colors, shapes, vector graphics, etc. Get really close and inspect all the details.
Leave it alone, then return to it. After you have designed something that you think is wonderful, leave it for a few days. Allow time in your scheduling to do this and you are sure to catch any small details you overlooked the first time.
Get feedback from others. Many times we cannot see something because we simply have been looking at it for a long time. If we bring someone else on the scene and ask for feedback, most likely they will spot errors or have suggestions that we otherwise would have overlooked.

What do you think?

Is attention to detail really that important or should I step down from my soapbox? Please share with us any thoughts or experiences you might have regarding this essential part of design: attention to detail.

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How to stand out and get noticed as a designer

Nicole Foster — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:23:27 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE by Nicole Foster – If you would like to write for GDB, contact me.

There are thousands of designers on the internet today in all types of fields. They range from web designers to print designers to graphic designers and more. They have different personalities, skill sets and mindsets. They are all designers, just like you, but they all have something different to offer.

So now you’re just starting up and you want to be just like them? That’s not the best way to approach your business. In the design profession, the best way to be recognized is to be unique and to stand out when compared to other designers. These easy tips will help you prove you are different in a market of thousands.

Diversify your portfolio

Look around at design portfolios similar to yours. You will notice that most designers use same style and techniques. Whether it is similar color schemes or similar design styles, we become accustom to comfortable styles. How can you stand out?

Try something new – If you find yourself doing the same kinds of designs, do something new! One of the best ways to stand out is to show that you can do different types of projects. Look around on the internet and find tutorials that have a different style than what you’re used to and try it out. Instead of always creating a clean, modern layout, for example, try creating a grungy layout.
Flaunt it! – If you have created something for yourself or a client that is different from the rest of your designs, flaunt it! All clients have different ideas in mind, so when you show clients that you can do very different designs; they will be more likely to pick you over others.

Have a unique business card

Every design professional should carry around a business card. You never know when you might meet somebody that needs your services. With that in mind, here’s how to use that business card to your advantage:

Don’t use a premade template – You can use a boring premade template or you can create an exciting business card yourself. Both options are easy, but which one do you think will attract attention? The boring, unoriginal business card or the exciting business card created by you? The answer is the exciting business card because it shows your style to prospective clients and helps you stand out.
Design it with your personality – Your business card is a representation of you and your services, so design it with your personality. Design it with your tone of voice and with your creativity. If you show your personality to the prospective client, you become memorable in their minds and they will most likely pick you to lead their project.

Respond quickly to clients

Step into your clients shoes for a moment. Imagine you’re contacting a designer about your next project. You’re very excited to make your idea come to life and you’re hoping this designer can make it happen. Now imagine it is a few days later and you still haven’t heard from that designer. Your time is limited, so you decide this designer is never going to return your call and you contact another instead. The following tips will help you respond more quickly to client requests:

Get an email client for your desktop – I personally recommend Thunderbird from Mozilla. Thunderbird allows you to link your email account and promptly respond back to emails all from your desktop. Best of all, it’s free and easy to use.
Remember, quick responses go a long way – When you respond quickly to a client, it shows that you are interested and committed to that client’s idea. This will go a long way because the client will think of you when recommending designers to their friends and associates. Plus, it’s a good business habit to practice because it shows professionalism to your client.

Go the extra mile for your clients

This may sound tedious and not worth it, but it goes a long way. Clients love when somebody goes the extra mile for them. Whether it is giving a free service away or putting more effort into their project, it really shows a difference between you and other designers they could have hired. Here’s a couple of things you might consider doing:

Offer a free service – Suppose you’re designing a small business’ website that is just starting up. Go the extra mile and offer to design a free business card for them. Offering a small service for free leaves a great impression on a client. It shows that you care about the client and you want to help them as much as you can.
Send a holiday card – Whether it is through email or an actual letter, send your clients a card during major holidays. It shows that you’re still thinking of the client and it will remind them of you and your services. Be careful what you send them though. Make sure your holiday cards are general and never specific. You don’t want to end up sending a Christmas card to a client who celebrates Hanukah.

How do you stand out? Share your ideas.

What do you do to stand out from other designers? Share it in the comment section of this article and learn what others do.

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The beginner’s guide to blogging about design

Preston D Lee — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:05:35 +0000

So you want to blog about design, eh? You’ll have to take a number and wait in line because, frankly, there are thousands of blogs about design out there.

Starting a successful design blog is like learning to walk: You will most likely fail a number of times, you’ll need a lot of patience, and you can’t do it on your own.

This article will give you a few pieces of advice to help your blog be as successful as possible in an extremely saturated market.

Why do so many designers blog?

There are probably a lot of reasons that so many designers have decided to start blogging. In a very popular post here on GDB titled “Top Designers Discuss why they blog“, bloggers in the design community like Chris Spooner, Jacob Cass, Andrew Houlme, John Phillips and more, share their motivation for blogging. After reading through their answers to the question “why do you blog?”, you might notice a few similarities–many designer blog for two primary reasons:

First, They find the interaction with others valuable
If you simply hide away in your own personal corner of the universe and avoid interaction with other designers, you are really missing out! Designers make up one of the most active communities online and the majority of them are willing and anxious to provide feedback, inspire and teach, and help you become a better designer. Take advantage of the design community and give back by blogging about your experience.

Second, It helps them market their design services
While blogging might be an enjoyable hobby, not many designers actually make a full-time salary from it. And that’s okay. A lot of designers don’t necessarily start blogging with that goal in mind. Not one of the designers that responded to the question mentioned above said that they began blogging for money. As a result, blogging can be a great way to get clients, boost reputation, increase your personal brand awareness, and increase your business as a designer.

Getting started: 6 steps to a successful design blog

Spend a lot of time reading other design blogs. You’ll learn as you read through the rest of this article that one of the most important things you can do to make your blog a valuable tool for other designers is to read what is already out there about design. This will help you become familiar with how the blogosphere functions. You can then find your place in the community and start adding to it.

Find a niche. As mentioned before, there are thousands of design blogs out there. Certainly new ones are being created every day. It is getting to the point where a design blog can’t simply be just another design blog.

To be successful as a design-blogger, you should carefully consider your niche. It is a longstanding marketing strategy: Define a purpose, and let it drive your success. In other words, instead of blogging about web design, logo design, print design, and all other design under the sun, find an angle. This blog, for example, is tailored towards designers who hope to make design more than a hobby. It provides business tips, client advice, project management suggestions, and more for designers who hope to make a living from their passion.

As you determine your niche, designers are more likely to visit your site when they have a specific need.

Market your blog as a valuable resource. Thousands of designers, and people in general, have started a blog that is simply their “rantings and ravings about (fill in the particular subject here).” While this may serve a purpose for some bloggers, if you really want to see your blog grow, you should market it as a valuable tool for other designers. Write articles that inspire, teach, or persuade. Then use social media or other means to market your blog as something that others will be missing out on if they don’t read.

Connect with others via social media. For every design blog created, there is most likely a twitter account, facebook fanpage, or some other social media connection established. If you aren’t currently using social media to market your ideas and your blog’s content, you are missing out on countless opportunities.

It’s all about content. You’ve heard the phrase: “Content is King”. Believe it or not, it’s the truth. You might be a killer designer but if you can’t provide valuable information for your readers, they are not likely to be visiting your blog in the future. While your blog should look professional, don’t waste so much time ensuring your blog design is the best one around. Use that time to make sure you are providing great content to your readers instead.

Create a professional theme. I know, I just suggested that the blog’s design doesn’t matter as much as the content–and it’s true. But have you ever heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”? The truth of the matter is, we always judge a book by its cover and a blog by its theme–especially in the design community. GDB featured an article titled “Build your first wordpress theme with 4 easy-to-follow tutorials“. While I still believe this is a valuable tool to any designer looking to create their own wordpress theme, I strongly suggest a new article I recently discovered on Chris Spooner’s blog. It is titled “How to Build a Custom Wordpress Theme from Scratch” and will be a valuable tool for any design-blogger.

My blog is ready…now what?

Once you have decided on your niche, you’ve begun to create a few posts here or there, and you have started to market your blog online, what’s next? The most important thing you can do is craft your posts in a way that will make others want to read them. Below are a few tips on writing content for your design blog:

Don’t just duplicate information. Make your content original by finding a new angle, taking a spin on a popular topic, writing about something controversial, and keeping it fresh and creative.
Make it easy to read. For most design blogs, I suggest a friendly writing tone. Make it conversational and your readers are more likely to engage and participate.
Write about what people care about. Keep your content relevant to your audience. Don’t go off on random tangents that distract or annoy your readers.

Summing it all up. What do you think?

While there are thousands of tips for brand new design-bloggers, the information mentioned in this article is what I feel to be most relevant to a designer who hopes to start a successful blog. What other tips can you add to the list?

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What to do when a client wants you to copy other designs

Preston D Lee — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:40:25 +0000

In the graphic and web design industry, we like to think of ourselves as “creatives” who constantly keep the creative juices flowing and come up with original, well-thought out ideas. So why is it that even the best of graphic and web designers are approached by a client now and then who says something like:

“I really like the look of this design.
Can you just copy it?”

I was asked about this just the other day on twitter (follow me). The following was the question I got from @zooperswede: “What would you do if a client that comes to you with a magazine clip and says…’design me something like this’?” I would like to present my thoughts on the issue according to the experiences I have had. In addition, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

First things first, is it okay to copy designs?

Great Designers Steal

There has been a lot of controversy over the notion that “great designers steal”. Cameron Moll, web guru, speaker, and author wrote an article clear back in 2003 titled “Good Designers Copy, Great Designers Steal“. In it, he adapted Picasso’s statement that Great Artists Steal to modern web and graphic designers. The point of the article is that copying others’ work is a great way to create top-notch material especially for those who are just starting out in design.

Is it okay to copy?

Is it every appropriate to copy the design of another? Yes. Why do I say this? Because, frankly, as designers we are constantly mimicking what we see in the world around us. We peruse the internet searching for “inspiration” and, as we collect this information, our brain remembers the elements we like and those we dislike. The more time we spend with certain styles of design, the more our design starts to imitate it. Is that a good thing?

Of course it is.

The wonderful thing about the online design community is the wonderful ability we have to share ideas quickly and feed off of each others’ creativity. A few opportunities in which I would say copying another design is appropriate are as follows:

When you are trying to master a new technique
Nothing will help you learn a new technique better than really digging deep into how the original designer achieved the effect. By dissecting the design and recreating it yourself, you perfect the process. It’s much like taking apart a vacuum cleaner or toaster oven. The further you get inside, the more you understand the basic principles that govern its success.
When the author intends for you to borrow or copy
There are countless online resources that provide designers with tutorials, code snippets, downloadable source files, free stock photography, and more. In these situations, this material is there for your gain–so really try to take advantage of it as much as possible.

But is it okay to steal?

Let’s face it. Stealing is wrong. Never in the history of the world has it been inherently right to steal. Using another person’s work and claiming direct ownership of it is not ethical and is usually illegal. So what do we do when a client approaches us with the request to “make it look exactly like this”?

The solution

I discussed this same issue early on in my design career with a professor of Graphic Design. The advice he gave me has stuck with me to this day and has helped me out of some pretty tight situations. He gave me a simple procedure to follow when approached with a request to copy someone else’s design.

FIRST, Commend your client for putting forth the effort in deciding what kind of design they are looking for and what style they like.

SECOND, Explain to your client the laws of copyright and the problems associated with plagiarism.

THIRD, Kindly help your client understand that while you cannot explicitly steal certain elements of the design itself such as actual shapes in logos or images from the internet (without purchase a rights managements), you would be happy to identify the elements and principles of design that you can use to get the same effect.

FOURTH, and this is the most important, sit down with your client and talk with them about why they like the design. Talk less about physical traits and more about principles and emotions. Do they like the color pallet? Do they like the arrangement of elements? Maybe it’s the typography or photography. Possibly they like the amount of white space or the textures. List all the reasons your client likes the design they present to you.

FIFTH, after the meeting, sum up all the points you have made about the design. Their likes, their dislikes, and how you intend to achieve a similar effect without copying the design directly.

SIXTH, After designing the piece according to the specifications at the meeting, review the design with your client and point out the elements that you previously discussed. More than likely, they will love the new design because they now have something just as appealing and beautiful but that belongs completely to them.

Case in Point

I’ll finish off with a design project I recently completed. The client came to me and essentially said, “We want our site to look like the Apple web site.” Let me demonstrate below:

There were some obvious elements found on the Apple web site that I knew the client wanted to apply in their web site. Obviously the Apple site uses white space effectively, has a minimalistic color scheme, and is simple and easy to navigate.

While I didn’t want to explicitly copy the Apple site, I took some of the elements I mentioned previously and applied them in the design above. The client loved the design and the site launch was a smooth success.

What would you do?

At the end of the day, this is all my opinion and experience. I am anxious and curious to learn what you would do (or have done) in this sort of situation. Please share your thoughts with the rest of us.

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Avoid design burn-out by limiting client revisions

Preston D Lee — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:58:08 +0000

Beginning a new design project is always exhilarating. You’re energized and excited about working on the project and creating something effective and beautiful. But have you ever had a project that, by the end of it, you just “want to get it done”? You stop caring so much about the design because you’ve been forced to change it so many times since the original concept, you don’t even feel like it’s your work anymore?

I’ve been there.

This article will attempt to help you find the root of this design burn-out problem. Here’s a hint: maintain control of your project by limiting client revisions. Don’t get me wrong, revisions are important and, many times, necessary. But limiting the number of unnecessary revisions will help you have a more effective design process.

A lesson from Chris Spooner

I was recently examining Chris Spooner’s personal design portfolio. On the contact page I noticed, among other tips for those who would solicit Chris’s work, these words:

Don’t ask how many revisions are included in the cost
This is my most hated phrase in the design industry. It seems to have stemmed from those cheap logo design websites that offer a ‘5 for $50 deal’ with ‘3 free revisions’. It gives me the impression thatthe work the designer creates is ‘wrong’, and then needs ‘correcting’. I always create designs withreasoning behind the graphics, therefore I don’t tend to work on a revision basis. If a change needs to be made that’s not a problem, if I feel differently I’ll always offer my view, but as long as it fits within the proposed time quota it’s no trouble. However if the change creates additional work beyond the initial budget, advice will be given on any additional costs. (taken from spoongraphics.co.uk by Chris Spooner)

Chris makes a few great points here. Let me examine them a little more deeply:

Lots of revisions means little confidence in your work

“It gives me the impression that the work the designer creates is ‘wrong’, and then needs ‘correcting’.”

While you may not quite feel as experienced or confident in your design work as Chris, it is still important to understand what you are saying to your customer by allowing for countless revisions. Essentially what you are telling them is you do not feel confident enough in yourself to get it right the first time, so you will be counting on them to fix any problems you create during the design process.

Who wants to hire a designer who can’t deliver a good product the first time? No one.

Do your homework and be prepared to discuss your reasoning

“I always create designs with reasoning behind the graphics, therefore I don’t tend to work on a revision basis.”

In a popular post here on GDB titled “7 tips on presenting logos to a client” we discuss the importance of making design decisions based on rational thought, research, and effective coordination with your client. As you design with the intent to meet the needs of your client (more than just make things look pretty) you will find that there will be less need for revisions and you won’t get burnt out so quickly.

Don’t Misunderstand–Revisions are okay

“If a change needs to be made that’s not a problem…”

Lest I have a lot of angry designers leaving comments on this post about the importance of revisions in the design process, let me say the following: Revisions are important. If the client needs something changed or adjusted, do it. It is important to satisfy the needs of your client.

What I am ultimately getting at with this article is the importance of limiting the number of revisions you allow your client to do–not get rid of them altogether.

What is a revision anyway?

The other problem with giving your client an exact number of revisions is in defining what a revision actually includes. Is it every time you send the document via email, is it every 5 times they have content changes, and what about if they just have a little thing to change–does that count for a while revision?

See the problem?

As I sat down recently with a group of management, we decided to replace the word ‘revision’ with ‘draft’. This helps the client understand that they should include all the changes they would like to make to a design in one consolidated document, send that to you and they can expect a subsequent “draft” in response.

So what should we do?

Burn-out in the design industry is a huge problem. Designers get tired of changing their designs for no logical reason. How can designers avoid this problem? Let me sum up this article in a few easy-to-follow steps:

Work closely with your client in the research, planning, and designing phase
Provide a solid design that fulfills the needs of the client as discussed in step 1 above.
Strive to limit unnecessary revisions as much as possible. Remember, you need to work with the client, but discuss changes together.
Avoid burning out.

What do you think?

After all is said and done, every designer’s situation is unique. What tips or advice can you offer to the rest of us when dealing with designer burn-out due to too many revisions?

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Specialization: a designer’s key to success in the future

Preston D Lee — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:17:48 +0000

I am currently reading “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” a phenomenal book about marketing and branding written by Al Ries. One of the laws of effective branding is the law of contraction. Ries explains that companies (and might I venture to add independent designers or freelancers in general) are likely to be more successful if they focus their energies on one specific skill instead of trying to master a number of different ones.

Jack of all trades, master of none?

The popular phrase “Jack of all trades” has, over time, been modified. Now, you frequently hear “Jack of all trades, master of none. Is this true for graphic and web designers as well? Are we likely to be more successful if we focus our efforts on one specific skill instead of trying to be well-trained and proficient in all things design-related?

I would argue that it is absolutely applicable to those of us in the design profession. I have recently visited a number of designers’ portfolio web sites. I frequently see a phrase like this: “I design logos, posters, web sites, brochures, and more.” This is a typical marketing blunder-offering more services does not necessarily mean that you will find more customers.

The future of marketing is in the niche

It used to be that you could market yourself as a do-it-all sort of person or company. With the way marketing and advertising are headed, however, only those who can successfully target a niche audience will really thrive. Consider the following scenarios:

James is a designer who enjoys working in a wide variety of design-related areas. As a freelance designer, he works one week on a web site design, one week on a logo design, and one week designing some informational graphics. James’ work is professional, but somewhat mediocre because he hasn’t been able to take the time necessary to fully develop and master his skills in each area. When other business-owners ask their friends who can design a good web site, they think first of other designers, not James.

Parker, on the other hand, is a designer who specializes in web site design for small companies. He works week after week on similar projects that allow him to be flexible and creative, but also force him to become extremely proficient in building web sites for small companies. When a large company comes to Parker asking for a web site, he isn’t afraid to turn them down, because he knows he doesn’t specialize in big business. Besides, he receives so much work via referrals that he wouldn’t have time to do it even if he wanted to.

While these examples may have been somewhat exaggerated, the point is simple: targeting a niche market as a designer will help you refine skills in that particular area,will increase recognition, boost sales, and improve client referrals.

Designers who have mastered specialization

David Airey. When you think of logo design, who immediately comes to mind? Among other designers, I would imagine David Airey is somewhere on your list. While David does work in other areas, his emphasis or specialty seems to focus on logo design. This has led him to become an expert on logo design, writing a book and managing a very popular blog–both by the same name–Logo design love.

Ryan Carson from Carsonified. Who creates “hand-crafted web sites” that are simply a beauty to behold? Amongst others, the team at Carsonified has defined their specialty in creating attractive web sites for their clients. Could they handle a logo design, a brochure design, etc.? Most likely. They simply chose to be the best at what they do instead.

There are many more examples of designers who are a great example of successfully marketing and dominating in a particular design niche. Who else can you think of? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

It’s all about positioning

What’s positioning? It’s a simple marketing term that relates to the position you or your company possesses in the mind of the consumer. When you hear the phrase “fun & reliable computer” which machine comes to mind? Apple of course. They have worked hard to solidify that positioning in the mind of the consumer. What about “photo editing”– you think Photoshop, right? What about “design blogs”? Perhaps you think of Smashing Magazine.

Now let’s try it with you and your design career. When a client thinks “I need a logo designer,” who do they call? Those who have established themselves in that position within the consumer’s mind.

Now think for yourself: how have you positioned yourself and your design work?

What’s your specialty?

So what have you decided to specialize in? What are you going to be the best at? Are you going to master branding & identity packages, information graphics, food packaging, stationery, web design, advertising, or something else?

Share with us what your specialty is and leave a link to your portfolio so we can all take a look!

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