How to Work With a Designer

By
Angie Herrera

If you're going to work with a designer for the first time, or If you've had a bad experience with one in the past and are leery of the idea now, understanding the design process is important and the key to a successful project and professional relationship. Too many people are under the misguided assumption that designers simply make things look good, whereas the reality is more complex than that. Designers use visual clues such as typography, shapes, colors and images, to name a few, to communicate. A good designer will not just make something look better, he or she will make it work better, sell better, inform better - all striving for the goal to keep your business moving and growing. If this is understood from the get-go, you will get the most out of your design budget every time. How this is done, however, is a bit more complicated and takes good communication between you and your designer. ### Planning ahead No designer could ever be the expert of your business. It's your business after all! And that makes you the expert in knowing what you're trying to achieve. You may not know what the end-result will look like -- that's the whole point of the creative process - but you can give your designer specifics about your needs. The more detailed you can be early on, the better equipped the designer will be to meet your design needs. Adding specifics or requirements during the development process will cause the designer to tack them on, almost as an afterthought. That won't give you the best results, and it will be highly unlikely that they'll fit the design well. It's also a poor use of time and money. ### Change is good, and so are new ideas Just because you like a particular website or brochure layout doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. Chances are, it won't. For that very reason, it's important to be open to new ideas. One of them may be something you never would have though of that suits you or your company just right. ### Target your audience It bears repeating: Design is communication. In creating any design piece, it's important to always ask, "What's in it for my customers?" A good designer will not only avoid designing for him- or herself, but will design with you goals and intended audience in mind. Designing for anything but the customer will not give you the results you seek. ### Avoiding too many cooks A common mistake people make is getting too much feedback and listening to it all. It's a perfectly good thing to ask a few people of their opinions, but it's best to have one person making the final decisions. In addition to lengthening development time, it's just impossible to please everyone, and the more people you ask, the more conflicting their comments and feedback will be. That will make your results become more watered down as the project progresses, and your happiness with it will diminish. ### Client/designer communication During the process you will be asked for you input and thoughts. That's the perfect opportunity to check in and make sure you and your designer are headed in the right direction. But your comments and feedback will need to be specific. "I don't like green", is too broad and too subjective. Is there a reason a color or shape isn't working? Conversely, your designer should be experienced enough to tell you specifically why something works or doesn't work. And just as important, he or she should be able to take your comments constructively rather than as an insult or attack. That will make him or her a better designer and will get your project done the way you expect it. ### Don't tell your designer how to design If you've gone as far as hiring a designer, chances are you did so because you understand that he or she has talent, skill and expertise in what they do. It's okay to give direction. That's part of the client's role in the process. But telling your designer how something should be laid out or designed - rather than telling him or her what you want something to say - is hindering and won't allow for creative results. By asking for an emotion, a meaning or a message, you are giving certain parameters that still allow for the freedom the designer needs to create the best possible solution for you. If you start to tell a designer how to do his or her job, he or she will only be motivated to do the smallest amount of work possible and to cash your check.