10 tips for working with a graphic designer

The TED video above provides some interesting and relevant insight into the strength and focus incorporating relevant graphic design can bring to your project. I encourage you to take a look.

Whether you’re a small business owner or a communications guru it’s often difficult to determine how to work with a graphic designer to produce the results you want.The following are some tips to help you navigate.

  • Graphic Designers of all Kinds: Like any profession, not all graphic designers work the same way or at the same calibre. Some have a particular brand or style that they sell while others may specialize in certain kinds of products like magazines or books. Other designers or their shops are more diverse and can offer a wide range of services.  Think about what you are trying to accomplish with your design and then look for the fit that works best for you. Sometimes local graphic design associations can lend you hand or at least you can see who the local award winners are.
  • Checking the Fit: Look at the graphic designer’s website to see what they have done with other clients. Do they provide bios of their designers? Do they share their design philosophy? Do they have a blog that gives you insight into their professional approach or personality? What does their LinkedIn profile offer? All of these will help you to determine fit.
  • Meet Them: Arrange to speak with them and make sure that if you are working with a firm, you get to meet the designer you will work with. There is no point hitting it off with the owner, only to find that you will be working with their summer student.  Ask them about their project management style, how will they keep you informed of progress? How will they create a schedule?
  • Tell the designer what you want to achieve:  Once you’ve made your choice, clearly state your objectives. By discussing what you want to achieve with the project, you are more likely to have a product that delivers when it’s completed. This doesn’t mean being highly prescriptive about what the design should look like, after all, if you could design it yourself, then you wouldn’t be hiring a graphic designer. Websites differ in size, look, feel and contents, so simply saying you would like a website isn’t going to help. Explain what the site has to deliver, did you have a great product and want to make sure clients appreciate the value? It’s really about giving the designer a clear understanding of what you want to communicate.
  • Be clear about your style and brand: Make sure that your initial planning meeting provides a clear understanding of your organization’s brand and style. If the focus is an event, make sure the designer understands who attends the event and what they get from it.  If the objective is sales, make sure they know who the potential customers are. This is really about making sure that the audience for your product is clearly understood.
  • Ask for two to three initial concepts: Even with the best description in the world, how you imagine a design will look and what the designer is thinking can vary greatly.  By requesting three different concepts (not variations on a single theme and not a full mock up), not only are you charging the designer to use their imagination, but you are giving yourself an opportunity to see the project in a different way from how you might have imagined it. I have often found that the concept that came closest to what I was thinking at the start of a project is not the one that delivers the message best.  Stay open.
  • Timing Matters: At the onset of a project the time frame for final delivery should be clearly established.  It is then up to the designer to work backwards from that date and let you know if they can deliver what you need in that time.  Keep in mind that multiple changes in content and direction will affect timelines.
  • Make Sure You Do Your Part: The best graphic designer in the world will fail if the client is inconsistent or unclear about objectives.  Just as you wanted to meet the designer you would be working with, the designer needs to know who the buck will stop with for the project. Remember, if you have a revelation or change of heart half way through a project because your boss just figured out what you’re doing, you have to let the designer know and expect that you will also have to pay for that change of heart. Their time is valuable and while they want to make you and your project shine, they can only do that by working with you. Don’t be vague and distant and then surprised and angry if the project doesn’t work the way you expected.
  • Pitfalls:  I’ll know what I like when I see it.This sentence comes right before failure. Generally, if you say this, its because you don’t really know what you like. Graphic designers are very talented, but they have not mastered the art of mind reading. Also consider that what you like may not be what your clients need.
  • Graphic designers design: They are not writers or editors, so make sure that the content you send them has been reviewed and edited.  Make sure that you do a final review of the product before it gets to the printer.

Do you have a favorite poster, book, brochure etc that captured your attention because of great design? Have you ever worked with a graphic designer?  Would you like to work with one?

If you like this article, checkout Are You Creating Misinformation?

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Organizational Vision – You Can’t See Your Way Without It

Vision - 25 Questions for Organizational Vision

How can you ever get to where you want to be if you don’t know where you’re going?

I’ve known leaders who were absolute…well, visionaries.  Ones whose insight and perceptions were so far forward, it was as if they operated in a different time stream. They could inspire, charm and cajole people to do things that seemed impossible.  When the focus is right and the resources available, vision works a bit like magic. A strategic vision makes sure your organization is where it needs to be when it needs to be there. Unfortunately, all visions are not created equal and a poor vision or the absence of a vision can have a negative effect on you and your organization.

When Vision Goes Wrong 

  • Too Far Forward: When a vision is set too far forward connecting the dots between the long-term objectives and the day to day work of employees becomes challenging if not impossible. This type of vision operates in much the same way as a bad fit does.  It creates pressure on staff to meet objectives that cannot be achieved because they are either poorly prepared, under-resourced or do not understand what they are trying to achieve. In these instances, staff will often revert back to old behaviour or activities. This not only undermines the vision but can undermine the external relationships of the organization. For an association, this can mean that members turn to alternative resources to meet their immediate needs. For businesses, when a vision is too far forward customers may seek services elsewhere or hold back to see what early adopters think of the new products or services.
  • Out of Alignment: When the vision is out of alignment with an organization it means that the work of the organization does not synch up with the activities required to meet the vision. The result is multiple priorities will begin to compete for attention. Staff can feel conflicted or feel pressure from being under-resourced.  The consequence is that they become disengaged or demoralized. There can also be financial consequences as managers struggle to find the resources to meet immediate requirements while also trying to keep pace with the demands of the vision. In an association, it can create frustration with members as services they need disappear or become under-resourced in lieu of services they don’t understand or are not prepared to use.
  • No Vision At All: Having no vision at all is also destructive to an organization.  When there is no clear vision in place employees tend to default to doing the same things they have always done.  This strangles innovation and can result in a slow erosion of organizational relevance. In an association, it can mean a growing gulf between the organization and its members. In a product or service business, it can result in a disconnect between customers and the company.  You can’t have good customer service if you’re disconnected from your customers evolving needs.

How to Develop A Vision

So while having a vision is critical to achieving your goals, not all visions are the right fit. To ensure that your vision aligns with your organization, start by

Start by reflecting on what you want and what you are trying to achieve. Imagine what your world would look like if things were exactly as you wanted if you had no limitations.   Ask questions. Start by identifying your big picture vision by asking big questions.

25 Organizational Vision Questions

  1. What are your big long-term goals? What would be different if your vision became reality?
  2. How do you plan on achieving your goals or how do you plan on being successful?
  3. What do you need (capabilities and skills) to keep your competitive edge?
  4. What time frame are you covering with your vision? Note that if you go too far into the future your vision is likely to fail.  Given the current pace of change in technology 10 years is a long time. If your vision is unresponsive to emerging ideas or demands, it will become more of a hindrance than a help.
  5. What have you accomplished to date? What have your big wins been?
  6. What innovations have you developed?
  7. What problem or challenge are you trying to address?
  8. Who benefits from your products or services? What is your target audience’s demographics?
  9. How easy is your solution to use?
  10. How costly or time consuming is it compared to alternatives?
  11. How do your stakeholders or community view your organization?
  12. How do your customers or members view you?
  13. How do your employees see you?
  14. Could you improve internal collaboration? If it is working well, why is it?
  15. If your members had to identify the three things they thought you did well, what would they be?
  16. What do industry experts have to say about you?
  17. How do your suppliers see you?
  18. What do your employees look like? What are their demographics?
  19. Who are your leaders? What style do they use to lead?
  20. Have you been working with new or unexpected stakeholders? Why?
  21. Are there services or activities you could offer but are not currently providing?
  22. Are you regionally focused? Could you expand or should you narrow your focus?
  23. What are your strengths?
  24. What is your unique offering?
  25. What would you achieve if you were more confident or less risk averse?

The more specific your questions, the more likely you are to come out with an effective vision.  For instance, you may want to influence people or make their lives better.  However, there are a number of ways you can do this that won’t necessarily help your organization to succeed. Therefore, how you help them to make their lives better becomes an important question to help focus your vision.

Why Visions Work

So what does a vision do that makes it work? According to productivity expert, Ann Max, one of the basic things a vision does is give you a framework to operate in. It provides a focus and a path to follow. In essence, a vision gives you structure. In many respects, it also provides hope and optimism, a very powerful combination to get you and your employees motivated.

Acquiring a vision can seem like a slow process, but the thing that makes it doable is that it can start off simply. It can begin with questions you can easily answer and only when you have one level firmly pictured do you move on to the next set of questions and details.

Taking your questions externally allows you step outside of any internal biases, blind spots or misconceptions you may have about what you can do or how you are doing it. Talking to people you respect or who have similar challenges may also provide you with insight that will help you to set a better path.

The first time I did this visioning exercise was more than fifteen years ago.  I imagined myself working in a collegial environment, meeting lots of interesting people, doing intellectually challenging work and working for a cause that I cared about.  There were more details, but even the ones that seemed frivolous like the artwork in my office or the view out the window (and there has always been a window) have usually come to pass. I doubt I would have followed that first job opportunity if I hadn’t firmly pictured where I wanted to land. This approach has worked when I’ve done it to resolve project barriers, staffing hurdles or personal challenges.

I would love to hear your feedback.  What do you do to get yourself focused and on target?  How do you know when the vision you choose is the right one?

Related Article:

26 Personal Vision Questions 

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You Online, The Forever Footprint

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu1C-oBdsMM]

When I wrote, “That Awkward Personal Branding”, I referenced the bright side of an online persona.  The way it can work to your advantage if you are honest and polite. Being present online can get you a new job, an informal or formal education, a new profession; it can introduce you to interesting and bright people.  What was not explored was that sometimes there is a downside to being online or at least that some caution is required. I had a different post lined up for this week, but then I had some interesting conversations and when I ran across the video above, I decided to write this post instead. The TED video provides some brilliant insight on the reality of our online lives and I thought I should share it and some of my own perceptions.

I grew up in a large and extended West Indian family and it always struck me as uncanny how my aunts in Montreal could know what my cousins in Barbados were doing at any given time and vice versa. The family grapevine was fast, effective and efficient.  You couldn’t blink without it being recorded, shared and discussed. It was therefore always a bit of a challenge to me to try to operate under the radar. Doing something, anything, and keeping it a secret was an accomplishment. It’s not that I was doing anything nefarious, questionable or even interesting.  It’s simply that when it seems as if every waking moment of your life is constantly being transmitted through the world’s most well-organized grapevine, you learn to appreciate privacy.

Given that background, you can imagine that when Facebook first emerged, it gave me nothing less than the creeps.  It felt very much like a self-inflicted Big Brother scenario. Why would anyone want everyone  knowing their activities? I watched with some amazement as people I knew and respected posted pictures and particulars about things that would have been better kept discreet or at least offline.  In a professional capacity, I have quietly scooped up and destroyed compromising photos of colleagues that would have devastated even the best careers. I have cringed when friends have posted highly political commentary and have blasted my son on more than one occasion for inappropriate posts from him and his friends.

So having said that, why would I ever encourage anyone to be online or promote themselves online?  The answer is that social media is a reality.  It’s not going to fade away and become a distant memory.  For good or bad, it’s part of our culture and imbedded in the way we communicate, so use it. Engage but be strategic about it.  If you were remembered for one thing, would you want that comment you recently made on Facebook or LinkedIn to be it? Would you be all right sharing your online comments with your boss, your mother or religious leader?  If the answer is no, then you may want to rethink what you post. Your digital trail is forever, so make each forever footprint with care.

Generational differences mean that my children and even those ten or fifteen years younger than me are comfortable posting things I wouldn’t dream of sharing.  When you grow up in the shadow of Facebook and the internet, your perception of what is private is very narrow, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Provocative language, heavily loaded double entendres and sexually suggestive witticisms are brilliant repartee at the dinner party table, but not necessarily, what you want to put out there for potential employers or clients. Most of the cues that are present in real life exchanges are missing online.  The sarcastic tone, the raised eyebrow or the knowing smirk that put a different meaning on words are all absent in online exchanges. You never assume in communications.  You always act with the expectation that your audience will need specificity, transparency and information.  If you know that the majority of messages are delivered through non-verbal cues, then you understand that when you engage online you are always communicating at a disadvantage.  In this setting clarity becomes king.

A very smart businessperson recently asked me, “Would you rather be on record online as a new Plato, Cicero or Voltaire or a Dr. Ruth or Pamela Anderson?”

While I don’t expect to reach the intellectual heights of the first three, reason, if not experience, would have me avoid the pitfalls of the last two. Dr. Ruth for the focus of her conversation and Pamela for her illustration of the same. I have other ideas to explore. To that end, I would encourage caution when managing your online persona. Engage and be present, post and share your ideas.  Take advantage of the benefits that online life has to offer, and there are many, but always ask yourself, would I be comfortable with everyone in my life seeing what I wrote and is this how I want to be remembered?

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