(fun techno music)
- Good design and communication
are important to every business
and equally important is knowing how to work with designers
to achieve your goals.
One important factor is knowing what to say
and what not to say when working with a design team.
So to that end, here are a few concrete examples.
Don't say for example, "Make it red."
Instead say something like,
"I wish it were bolder and stronger."
By talking about the problem instead of a solution,
you open up a world of possibilities
for the designer to consider.
Maybe the solution is to make it red
but maybe there's a much better solution out there
to achieve the same goal.
So just let us figure it out.
Don't say, "I hate it."
But instead say something like,
"Can you explain this to me again?"
If you really hate it, that's fine.
But before you walk away,
show the designer some respect
by trying to understand how they arrived where they did.
Through this kind of dialogue,
the designer will get to understand
what doesn't work for you
and apply that knowledge to what they do next.
Don't say,
"I showed the work to my friends last night at dinner
"and they didn't like it."
But do say,
"I have some new thoughts I'd like to discuss with you."
There's a whole chapter in my book Dear Client called
we don't care what your spouse thinks because we don't.
Your spouse did not read the brief, wasn't at our meetings,
and can't possibly be as informed as you are.
However, if you agree with what your spouse said,
all you have to do is own it yourself.
Just leave them out of it.
And alternatively, if we have a new client in your spouse,
then we're going to all have to get together for a meeting
so we can consider their perspective as well.
And here's something even worse.
We've had CEOs tell us that they showed their 12-year-old
who has great taste and proceed to tell us
what she thinks we should do next.
Again, if she had a great thought
that you completely agree with, own it.
Trust me, it doesn't make it better because she said it.