The Road to Becoming the Best

We're on the road and the GPS is saying "Follow your heart."

But actually, in July of 2019, I didn't originally know how to channel this desire to "be the best" or what form that could take. I knew that proposals in the Government Contracting space were bland, poorly written (sometimes filled out in pencil when we're speaking about landscaping quotes), and not design-forward.

In late 2019, the idea of applying Adobe products and the highest graphic design standard to a municipal staffing RFP seemed weird. It was an unusual format, with an audience not particularly design savvy or used to seeing well-structured information from local vendors. And with the looming nature of deadlines, applying graphic sophistication seemed daunting, like the payoff wouldn't be there.

In 2022, we're in the midst of a radical shift. Designed docs outside of the constraints of MS Word are No Brainers for vendors and stakeholders. Similarly, enterprises are not the only advanced, above-average game in town... Actually it could be argued that much of their appeal is being robbed by smaller vendors who can sound, look, and feel like them visually.

Most of my career within the proposal development universe has been focused on text, imagery, and win themes. As if these are isolated components handled by different people.

But I think this original paradigm was merely a consequence of who mentored me (not a designer) and the dominant voices in our industry (mostly writers).

There simply isn't a contingent - that I know of - who can blend all three (like a fusion restaurant), nor do I see competing firms really going down this road due to the immense investments in time and personnel needed.

Last year, hiring a graphic designer with writing skills (versus a writer with some graphic ability) has mutated my business in larger and more generative ways than I thought possible.

Here are some samples inspiring us today (3/21/22):

Final Thoughts: Maybe "best" is like genius and can only be bestowed. Still, when the possibilities seem to multiply with every new document made, one starts to think about these things and what's beyond the horizon of our capability.

Happy Bidding!