The 9 commandments for successful work with your design team

Imagine this situation:

You need to create a design for some project, for example, a website, a presentation, or a logo. After a long search, you come in touch with a design studio. And everything goes well: your new partners are super-professional, they have an impressive portfolio, they understand the tasks, ask the right questions, know how to listen, and are just very pleasant to talk to.

And then the day of the project presentation comes. Overall, you like everything - you just have a few minor comments. Then, perhaps a little more. And then a bit more again…

And then something strange starts to happen... You notice that your comments and remarks begin to cause hidden irritation. The requested changes are made reluctantly or cause long and tedious discussions. You also start feeling irritated, sincerely not understanding why you have to “beg” for what you paid money for. Eventually, as a result, you find that what recently seemed like “love at first sight” turns into a strained relationship with a constant feeling of stress and dissatisfaction. Moreover, in the end, you get a result that neither you nor your partners are satisfied with.

Sound familiar? Then this article is for you!

We have compiled 9 of the most important and useful tips that will help you build a comfortable and productive working process with your design team.

Before we begin - one small statement. Everything mentioned below is relevant for professional design teams only. When working with an inexperienced and unprofessional staff, most likely no tips and rules will help to achieve an appropriate result. Always work only with a professional design team!

Rule 1: Establish the right tone in your relationships from the beginning

Strive to establish a trust-based and professional tone in your relationships from the beginning. Remember that you and your project partners are one team. You share common goals, and you must trust each other. The more you trust and rely on each other, the faster you will achieve your goal and with better results.

Rule 2: Properly determine your budget and project price

Don't be afraid to discuss your real budget with your creative team. Consult with them about pricing. Learn the factors that may affect the price of your specific project. Trying to save a budget is okay, but it's risky to save it without understanding exactly what you are sacrificing for that. Remember that the final result of your work depends, among other things, on the time spent and the technical level of implementation. Your agency will likely be able to offer you different price levels (of course, assuming we are talking about professional companies) and will undoubtedly be able to provide you with excellent results at any of these levels. However, with certain limitations, your team may not be able to apply all the capabilities they have. Therefore, if you are looking to save money, try to do it wisely, understanding exactly which components of the project you are willing to give up.

Rule 3: Define clear goals of the project

Professional designers must clearly understand what are the goals of the project, whom it is intended for, what it needs to convey, and much more relevant information. Tell them! Don't be afraid of a lot of questions! Be afraid of a lack of questions: it means that your design team just doesn't understand what it's doing. Only when you provide your designers with all the necessary information, you can expect to get the best result.

Rule 4: Set reasonable schedules

Don't put your team under unnecessary pressure. "Time spares" have not yet benefited anyone. Let your designers use the available time in the most efficient way. Experienced designers are able to manage the schedules properly to come up with the best result.

Rule 5: Analyze results in terms of goal achievement

Try to avoid using the terms "nice" or "not nice". They are too subjective. We are not saying the aesthetic aspect and personal preferences are not important, but let’s face it: eventually, you didn’t order this project for yourself. You did it for your company, which has a different identity, different needs, and different goals than you do. When you analyze the result, the only question you should have is "Has the goal been achieved?". And you know what’s the most intriguing thing? When the job has been done properly and meets all the requirements, the aesthetic side no longer raises questions. You just love it.

Rule 6: Don't insist on many versions

Expect 2–3 versions at most. Remember: experienced designers will never present the customer with too many options - this indicates a lack of professionalism. If eventually, 2-3 versions are not enough, probably there was a communication issue or misunderstanding of the goals at the early stage of the project.

Rule 7: Don’t try to provide a solution - try to describe a problem

Constructive criticism is good. It contributes to the project, it's healthy. But don't try to be a designer. Avoid comments like "enlarge the title for me". Say instead "the main message is not prominent enough". Experienced designers have professional knowledge and tools to provide solutions to these comments. Let them do it. Only this way you’ll get a successful and optimal result.

Rule 8: Avoid a "referendum"

Probably, this is the most painful point in the whole process of a project. You can’t imagine how many potentially successful projects failed on this issue.?

So, let me be very clear here… Never consult with family members, friends or unrelated colleagues! When you show results to irrelevant people, remember that they just can’t analyze the result professionally: they are not involved in the project, not in the strategy, not in the goals, either. The only thing you will get is their personal preferences and subjective judgment. There is another point: psychologically, people tend to criticize when asked, even if everything seems fine. And they are always happy to play the role of “decision maker” for a few minutes… Are you sure you want to make your existential decisions based on it?

Rule 9: Submit corrections in an organized and centralized way

When it comes to proof-reads, comments and corrections, be sure to manage this process effectively. Do not rush to drop corrections one by one - consider each one of them, gather and send them in an organized way and in one shot. This will prevent a lot of mistakes and will save you precious time.

Stick to these rules, and you will be surprised to discover how your working experience has been dramatically improved.

Want to consult us about your next project?

You are welcome to visit our website: www.rubicon-creo.com

or dial: ?050-7250812