The CIN Blog

One of the things I find most exciting about design is how seemingly inconsequential details can completely change a person’s perception of an object, website or place. I was sat at my desk the other day when Russ (who I work with) called me on his way out of the building. “Just to let you know, there’s an exciting parcel for you in reception.”
We get plenty of parcels in the mail, so I wondered what it was that made this one ‘exciting’. I went down to collect it and found that it had been sealed with bright green parcel tape, instead of the usual brown. I had no idea what was inside at that point, but the vibrant sticky tape suggested it was going to be something worth looking at. (The new Autechre album, in case you’re wondering.)

You could argue that there was no real point in using non-standard tape, after all I’d already made my decision to purchase. But this little touch gave the otherwise mundane act of opening a packet a little suspense. And that in turn reinforced my satisfaction at buying the CD – very important in the face of reduced sales figures.

As designers, we can use this kind of psychology to our advantage. We can add value in all sorts of situations just by making a few careful decisions about colour, typeface, paper etc.

Why not ask yourself if there are any details you can change on your next project to make it stand out a little. Has anyone got any further examples of little touches they’ve seen that have made designs stand out?

Pete Clark
Cogdon, Clark & Tranter

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

I have recently been getting rather a lot of emails from newly graduated design hopefuls. People looking to take their first tentative steps on the road of creative fulfillment. I remember what it was like trying to find my first job; it can be a little daunting. So I’d like to offer some advice, if I may?

Many of the job-seeking emails I receive make some basic mistakes. If you’re reading this as a job seeker, that is a good thing as you have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. It’s just going to take a few minutes of planning, that’s all. I have prepared 7 simple tips to help you when contacting a prospective employer. Using these suggestions could seriously boost your chances of getting to interview, and reduce the risk of your email being deleted. Neat eh?

Tip 1: Find out the name of the person you are contacting.
If I get an email without my name at the top, I feel like it isn’t really to me. This means I don’t feel bad about not replying. If you can’t find a contact name on the company’s website, phone them. ‘Phone’ is a bonus feature that comes built in to most texting machines these days.

Tip 2: Send work examples.
Be careful here; it’s important not to clog up the inbox of your prospective employer with a 12mb PDF, but a couple of well chosen images can generate interest. You might also include a link to your website, incase the reader wants to see more. When you attach work examples, send a single file (PDF is best) and give it a name like ‘peteclark-work.pdf’. Avoid sending Word documents – this may sound like design snobbery, but Word is not the right tool to showcase your design skills. Nor is Publisher. Ever.

Tip 3: Spell check and READ your email before you send it.
I’m aware that many graphic designers aren’t too hot on spelling and grammar. But, and I cannot stress this enough, sending an email that is riddled with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and bizarre changes in tense will make you look amateur. If you struggle in this area, get some help. At the very least, don’t make claims that could undermine you. I recently got an email from someone with a “Keen eye for detail” who managed to spell our company name wrong.

Tip 4: Don’t send an email at all.
People are going to think I’m nuts for suggesting this, but you could always post a letter. Yes, a paper letter! These days almost everything is emailed – however, important documents still tend to be sent through the post. A well typeset, letter and printed work examples (on good paper) will command a certain respect that an email never could. You know how many job seekers have posted me a letter? None. So anyone who did that would stand out.

Tip 5: State why you want the job.
If I’m going to give someone a job, they need to prove that they really want it. I want to hear from people who can’t go more than a couple of days without creating something. I would sooner hire someone who is “a little obsessed with typography” than someone who “really enjoyed being at uni”.

Tip 6: Explain why you are a good choice.
I care about your ideas, enthusiasm, desire to learn, commitment, ethics and software skills. In that order. Don’t list all the software you can use without saying why that matters. Graphic design is about ideas, not software skills. Imagine a doctor who is an expert with a stethoscope but has no interest in curing people. That doctor, would be a BAD doctor.

Tip 7: Put some effort in.
I once received the following email:

Hello
I wanted to ask if there is any Graphic Designer Vacancy Available?
Thank you
Ralph

I actually did reply to this one, because it made me laugh. I sent back the following:

Hi
No there isn’t I’m Afraid
Cheers
Pete

So there you have it, my top tips for getting noticed. Obviously this is really just a starting point, but these are things that you can start doing right now, without much effort. And remember: The best jobs go to the best people. So start doing everything you can to be one of the best people. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has tips of their own to add to the ones above. Good luck!

Pete Clark
Director of CCT Creative
pete@cctcreative.co.uk

Hi there! I’m a bit stuck… You see, thinking of a subject worthy of my first blog post as a board member is a little tricky. There are many things that I could talk about, but I don’t know what people are interested in reading yet. I could write about my experience of dealing with tricky client situations; my top ten tips for overcoming creative block; something I’ve noticed that’s amused me. What’s the answer? (Actually, I did just notice that M&S has a special 3 for 2 offer on Wedding cakes. Who is that promotion aimed at!?)

I think I’m going to give it some more thought. In the meantime, if anyone has any ideas of what they’d like to read about, drop me a line.

Pete Clark
Director of CCT Creative
pete@cctcreative.co.uk