The Importance of a Solid Story
Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of design life we can to forget to research and believe that what we create can exist in such a way that it becomes a living breathing “thing” in the world. Without jumping in and determining certain elements up front we can miss this all together. I am sure that at some point or another we’ve all taken on a project that was a quick “turn ‘n burn” sort of project. The more that i work on projects the more i see that there is no point in taking on these assignments. They don’t do anyone any good. If you just slap something together your only going to continue to get those clients. Word of mouth works whether you produce top notch work for clients like Apple or the local Port-a-potty company. Granted we all want to work for clients like apple or Nike but honestly Phil’s Port-a -potty’s company could done quite nicely if the proper time and exploration can be addressed.
I know that those are complete opposites on both scales of design aesthetic and desirability. I do believe that if you do solid work and help educate the client along the way, they’ll see how decisions it can and will affect their brand. This will go a long way in how the community sees designers. We will always have folks that ask why pay good money for a simple logo when i can go to “YouPickLogoFactory.com”and only pay $10 or so. But when you can educate and deliver a product that the client understands how the brand was created and how to take care and protect that brand, they will be more likely to make smart decisions regarding that brand in the future. (Or let be honest here and just say it. We hope they are smart enough to realize the value that you, the designer, brought to their company and be a great returning client for years to come.)
I guess all of this got started because of a project i am working on currently combined with an interesting article on how strong story-telling in affects UI design. My project was a simple logo design. Nothing else was asked for, but simply talking to the client about decisions that will affect him down the road i believe i’ve got a loyal repeat customer. Well at least one that will be talking me up in his business circle. As his company grows from the start-up it is i look forward to continuing to work with him. The other trigger for this post was an article i just read (and am still digesting). If you are a UI designer please check out this article entitled “Why good storytelling helps you design great products“.
If we stop to really serve our clients to the best of our abilities (instead of always worrying about the bottom dollar), I think we can produce some amazing work.
That said i’m not stupid enough to believe that i can feed my family on good intentions alone. So finding that balance between these worlds will be an amazingly challenging adventure. I’m sure it will be a life long journey as well. If your up for the journey, i’d love the company. See you out there.
TTFN
- Doc