Casey discussed feedback in his most recent post, and I can’t stress enough how important feedback is when it comes to working with designers. From the very beginning stages when websites are still just static images of what your final site could ultimately look like, it’s important to gather client feedback or else we, as designers are just making pretty pictures for ourselves. And that’s not even remotely what design is about.
Design is an empathetic discipline, one that builds for others and aims to solve real world problems that make your life easier. Although designers can be vain creatures that crave feedback for their designs, it’s the only way to truly validate us.
At TRIBUS, anytime visual designs are made, there is a period to review and get invaluable feedback from clients to explore, challenge and evaluate the creative decisions of designers. The job of designers here is to pitch their designs. I’ve always been of the adage that designs are nothing if designers cannot sell people on why they are good, but the other half is clients being able to respond to this pitch objectively.
This collaborative communication between designers and clients is vital, but it’s not always clear how to contribute and respond to designs when you see them. If you keep in mind these simple tips during your design meetings, you’ll get the most out of your projects.
GO HONEST & BIG FIRST!
For the good of the group, it’s best to give your overall reaction first because the rest of the meeting and outside of the meeting, everyone will be picking apart the details. If designers can get an overall initial reaction, it will be easier for us to know how to ease any concerns you may have. And as a client, it’s totally fine for you to focus on voicing your concerns because good designers should already know what’s good about their designs. Despite being sensitive beings, good designers want to do great work and that only comes with honest, thoughtful and constructive criticism.
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HAPPINESS is a vain standard of design quality.
You should be happy in life, but in a design sense, it’s merely a byproduct that could be influenced by many things like your mood that day or something you saw or heard another day. It’s easy to respond emotionally at first glance, but if your designer did their job, they’ll have pitched designs in an objective manner that referenced project goals and outlined design decisions that are reinforced by thoughtful problem-solving ideas.
So leave your emotions at the door and always revert back to the context within your project goals and the problem you sought out to solve. Your goals are there to guide you in assessing whether design brings value. And value helps your business grow, solving a problem you originally had and now do not have because of this particular designed decision. Nothing more, nothing less. Good questions are objectively specific, such as:
“Does this align within our marketing strategy?”
“Is this a good reflection of our brand?”
“What goal is this fulfilling?”
All these questions lead back to items previously discussed that may have shifted the course of the project’s direction. The designer’s job is to move positively in this direction. Now is not the time to stray from it. A lot of time can have passed from meeting to meeting and it may feel as if, as clients, you are the only one who has to live with your website, but TRIBUS (and I personally) consider any project a direct extension of our company and its reputation that we value incredibly highly. All of our work is focused on staying on course in our common goals.
TRENDS: Don’t worry about them
You might admire what other people are designing and there is nothing wrong with being influenced by other companies, designers and mediums. Or you might want to stay away from what everyone else has been doing. It’s 2016, almost everything has been done. You can only do what other people have done, but do it better. The big “but” is that those people are not trying to create things that solve your problem, they were worried about their own and you should be too.
The latest in digital design trends are often cyclical. There are many beautiful creations and many lists about them:
Web Design Trends 2016: The Definitive Guide
Those works of art are great for those specific situations. But if you’re trying to solve something, be great at understanding your own problem and exploring what the best solutions are for it.
When working with designers: be honestly bold. Save happiness for the end. Ignore the trends. Designers are looking out for what’s best for you and your project, help them out by doing the same.
