- Now you know what your responsibility is.
But what is not your responsibility?
This can be fluid based on the agreement,
scope of work, and project.
But there are basic constants that rarely change.
One truth that I follow on top of all the others,
and this works in all aspects of life,
is that you are not responsible
for the state of someone's feelings.
You cannot control if someone is angry,
happy, sad, or hurt.
You can only do your best work and treat others well.
How they respond is their issue, not yours.
Now the others.
Your role as a designer is not to
ignore the client's concepts or input,
write and proof the copy,
do the illustrations or take the photos,
print the project,
code the website,
accept and approve final delivery.
First, never ignore the client's input.
He or she will always know their business better than you.
It's your job to hear what they are saying and ask why.
It is not to do exactly what they ask.
You are not a pair of hands.
If the client says, "Please change the typeface,"
you need to know why.
Is it sterile and cold?
Is it hard to read?
Is it communicating the wrong message?
Remember, a client only knows what they've already seen.
You can point them to a better idea.
Your role is not to let others decide what the content is.
If the existing imagery doesn't support the solution,
find an alternative.
Unless you are being paid for the photography
or illustrations, hire an illustrator
or a photographer and art direct them.
If the copy is poorly written,
too wordy, or too thin,
suggest that the client work with a copywriter
that you recommend, and work with that writer
to get the best text.
If something is unclear, find a way to make it clear.
Add diagrams, use an image,
or highlight the relevant text.
Your job is not to simply pour in the given copy,
place the images, and then say,
"Sorry it looks bad, it was what I was given."
You are responsible for the quality of the project.
But you are not the manufacturer.
If a project is printed, I get the estimates
from one or two printers and present them to the client.
The client contracts directly
with service provider you may recommend.
Long ago, designers paid for the printing themselves
and charged the client with a markup.
Today, most designers prefer for the client
to pay the printer directly
rather than carry a huge printing bill.
You are also not responsible
nor should you ever accept final delivery
and approval of a project.
The client must sign off on this.
If you accept and approve the delivery of 30,000 letterhead
and the client rejects it for whatever reason,
you are financially liable.
The client, as the end user of a print,
motion, or web project needs to approve the final delivery.
There are lots of misconceptions about what designers do.
A marketing VP at a major corporation once asked me
to deliver 50,000 invitations in two days.
For some reason, she thought I had a giant
offset lithography printer at my office
and did all the printing and binding
in addition to the design.
It took some convincing, and lots of photos
of enormous printing presses before she believed me.