Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of articles in the design world that discuss different topics in the process of what we do.  Interestingly enough, for me the discussions all boil down to a universal point about service – that the customer is always right.

Those of us in the design business provide professional services to various types of clients and when it comes to service we have to remember that it includes specifically customer service as well.  I’ve certainly met designers who seem to be  a bit full of themselves – the artiste in all of us – who do not seem to treat their clients like valued customers.  Almost in any industry we see this phenomenon where the service provider acts as if the client is lucky to have procured such genius talent.  I suppose it all depends on the status and expectations of both parties involved.

I am one who still believes in good old-fashioned customer service to all, no matter the status or position of the client.  You can be a mom and pop shop or a giant conglomerate, but I would expect a professional to always be a professional.  It is the same principle the other way around as well.  I happen to be a solo freelancer amongst the many giant advertising agencies that exist, but I am a design professional nevertheless who expects to be treated with respect, just as the client does.

Amongst designers there is often talk of how a client seems to pick the one design out of three that is the least aesthetically pleasing, effective or preferred by the designer.  Out of such discussions I always wonder why a designer would even present something less desired to the client.  Certainly there might be preferences in style, but every option presented should be a viable option.  Perhaps designers need to remember that they should spend more time on all their designs, not just the first one that they hope the client will choose.  I think designers miss the point of offering multiple options in design, if they are going to purposely slant their work towards a particular composition.

Some designers chuckle at their clients’ decisions, assuming them to be void of artistic appreciation or the like.  I feel it is the fault of the designers for not educating their clients about what they are presenting and why.  Your clients are not stupid or silly, you are just not doing your job and feeling content to pat yourself on the back for no reason instead.  Stop being so arrogant is what I say…

It is also important to note that a client needs to understand what services they are paying for.  Certainly the budget of a giant conglomerate might command a different product altogether, so a client need not compare directly to another project assuming that it is a comparison of quality.  We all know that you get what you pay for.

I do believe in the old adage of the customer is always right – if understood in the correct way.  Designers often face the situation of a client adamantly wanting something that seems contrary or detrimental to their goals for the project.  Often, I have found that the cause is usually bad communication.  As a designer, I often remind myself that the client has the full business knowledge of their field and has certain goals in mind.  My job is to provide solutions from my understanding of their goals given my skills and professional expertise.

When there is disagreement, it often helps to understand the reasons behind the conclusions founded.  Perhaps the designer needs to present more clearly the pros and cons of what is affected by a particular choice.  Or maybe the client needs to provide some insight on their business goals, thus helping in resolving a debate.  Communication is definitely key in truly understanding the issue at hand.  Ultimately the client has paid for a particular service and will expect it to be done the way they want.  Note that the professional always has the choice to pull out if they truly are at odds with the situation.  Maybe a request is considered unethical to the professional and they don’t want to be involved…

I believe the customer is always right when it comes to what they want – what path to take to come up with the solution is certainly up for discussion.  Put yourself into your consumer shoes for a minute and remember that every person has quirks and preferences, for whatever reason.  As long as the consequences are understood, it is their choice to walk that particular path.  It does not mean that it is the best choice for every situation, but it can be considering the constraints and particular needs of the situation  In the end, the customer is always right…

Reference reading:
The Customer Is Always Right, Well Sort of…
Ideasonideas.com – The customer is always right…
Top Five Reasons “The Customer is Always Right” is Wrong

Posted on April 7, 2009 at 10:44 am | About Business | No comments

When someone asks a designer what they do for a living, there’s always a slight pause for most multi-disciplinary designers out there.  Simply stating the title of designer could lead to many varying conclusions from prospective clients – interior design, product design, stage productions?  However, you seem to be understating your abilities if you say print designer or web designer exclusively – because prospective clients might think you do one thing, but not the other.  Or what about web designer versus web developers?  There are many who strictly work in one aspect, but countless others who do both the visual creative and development.  A quick search on Google will give you countless design-related titles to choose from including the latest trend of UX designer or design engineer, which I don’t believe most people would understand thoroughly.

It seems natural especially that graphic design and web design are often coupled like Siamese twins. Many clients like the fact that you can supply services from print to web and we often see a huge amount of varying skills required on job postings.  Many graphic designers were schooled in traditional print design, but through the years might have moved into web design to keep up with the competition and changing market expectations.  I think that has to do with the natural evolution of how web design and the Internet came to be as well.  When the need arose for the old-fashioned role, webmaster, it was usually thrown over to the graphic design group, probably because it most closely resembled the skill set required.  However, there are obviously different challenges for print projects versus web projects.  Just as a childrens’ book illustrator would know specific inside knowledge on that industry and how things must be done.  Interesting to note the comparison between “graphic designer” and “web designer” from Google Trends.  I started doing a lot of comparisons to see what the Google world is saying about job titles in design.

Nevertheless, I think all designers possess a common set of skills, no matter what their medium.  After all, our job is to ultimately make aesthetic sense out of what seems to be chaos.  Designers have that aesthetic sensibility along with all the foundation basics such as composition, color theory and typography to name just a few.  A good designer who wants to work in a new medium, will certainly have to learn the industry standards and particulars, but surely he is still a good designer at the core.  It is important to note that over time, one working in the same field would still have to keep up to date with the latest improvements and enhancements due to the ever changing space of technology.  The core principles of design persist throughout, but everyone has to keep up with technology, new programs and new standards of the changing market.

Multi-discipline designers such as myself seem to continue with the struggle of an accurate job title.  The web industry is still young and it is not surprising that job titles are not yet standardized and may even change in meaning over time.  It certainly simplifies the issue if specializing say in logo design, because everyone understands what a logo designer will produce.  But what about those of us who do many things?  Do we have to risk losing business because of misinterpretation from a limited job title or even losing worth as various job titles render different pay rates?

I have found myself changing my title depending on the needs of the client, so as to ensure they understand what I can do for them.  It is difficult to encapsulate all of one’s abilities in a few words.  Perhaps it is best to go with the generic title of designer so when queried for more detailed information you can explain properly.  After all, whatever title you have it still boils down to actually executing in the end.

Reference reading:
Examiner – Are Graphic Designers Being Pushed in the Direction of Career Generalists?
About.com – Print versus Web

Posted on April 2, 2009 at 2:41 pm | Design | No comments