I lose track of the amount of times I’ve been in a meeting with a client I heard the words “We’d like you to show us four or five different options.” I usually start feeling mild dread around this point. Inevitably they continue with “If we have several quite different options we can take the bits we like from each.” My dread then turns to actual horror. Allow me to explain why I am affected so, with the use of delicious metaphor…
Let’s pretend for a minute that I’m a chef rather than a graphic designer. I’ve been hired to cater for Jim’s birthday party and it’s my task to cook him and his friends the best meal they’ve ever tasted. Jim explains that although he only wants me to cook a single dish, he’d like me to give him four or five options. So he can pick the bits he likes from each. (Can you see where I’m going with this?) I suggest that my time would be better spent coming up with one meal that he and his guests will enjoy. But Jim insists that it would be terrible if he didn’t like the meal, so I must provide options for him. I return to my kitchen, a bit depressed.
One week later…
I arrive for another meeting with Jim, I have samples of five dishes: Chocolate mousse; smoked salmon; banoffee pie; crispy chilli beef; aniseed balls. I really only had enough time to create two dishes, so I had to buy in the banoffee pie and crispy beef. The aniseed balls were given to me last Christmas – but I didn’t eat them because they are awful. Jim seems pleased with the choice. He spends five minutes deciding which bits he likes and asks me to combine them. I return to my kitchen, very depressed.
A week after that…
The night of the party comes and everyone is having a good time. There’s drinking, dancing and finally it’s time for the special birthday meal. Jim has an expectant look on his face as I walk in with a large tray. I present the food to the guests. “Ladies and gentlemen, for tonight’s meal I am serving Chocolate and fish mousse with banana chilli. Sprinkled with aniseed balls.” People are glancing nervously at each other, but no one approaches the food. Eventually Jim starts eating.
After ten minutes Jim is looking queasy and very upset. None of his guests liked his special birthday meal. He just can’t understand what went wrong, he hired a chef after all! Jim convinces himself that it was my fault and refuses to pay me.
Now, that all sounds a bit ridiculous doesn’t it? But it’s the exact same thing with graphic design. I really can understand a client wanting to retain creative control, but working like this ties the designer’s hands and stops you from getting what you are paying for. Focus on your goal – do you want to end up with a piece of design work that appeals to you or your customers?
Pete Clark
Cogdon, Clark & Tranter
