Design in the workplace can be hard. We know, because we asked.
Recently, we’ve been speaking to a number of different businesses about the challenges they face in their workplace. We’re going to be sharing these with you over the next couple of weeks, but we wanted to start with one of the most colorful topics we covered: communication between designers and departments or clients.
Believe me, we get it. Graphic designers can be hard to communicate with.
They have their design jargon and special software — and you might have no idea what it all means or how it all works. So if you work with designers, it helps to ask the right kind of questions that will move your project along and create a final product that everyone will be happy with — rather than questions that bring the project to a crashing halt with incorrect assumptions about the design process.
What might those be? Check out these 20 examples of questions that designers wish they didn’t hear. It’s the first taste of some awesome plans we have in the pipeline to make design in the workplace amazingly simple.
01. Don’t say: “We haven’t finished writing the copy, but can you design a draft?”
Why? You’ll often hear marketing experts say that “Content is king.” A design should be built around the content, not vice versa. Presenting content to its best advantage will always look better and get better results than trying to squeeze all the content into an existing design. Plus, going back and trying to re-arrange the design to fit the copy can be time-consuming for a designer and increases the turn-around time for you or your company. Next time? Get the copy as close to its final version as you can before asking your designer to get started — it’s better for everyone.
02. Don’t say: “Can I get you to do something really quick?”
Why? Are you sure it will be quick? Do you know what’s involved? Your designer is more than likely happy to accommodate an extra task or an adjustment here and there, but will definitely appreciate your consideration in asking how much time it will take (rather than if you just assume it’s a quick fix). Designers are good at giving estimates and will let you know how much time they need if you ask.
03. Don’t say: “Can you put it in a format that we can edit?”
Why? If you request an editable source file, you’ll likely need specialized design software and risk changing your carefully crafted project for the worse if you don’t have any design knowledge yourself. If you want a professional-quality design but will need to make edits regularly, you might consider a DIY option like Canva, where you can have access to templates created by designers that you can customize or tweak at anytime without compromising design quality.
04. Don’t say: “Can you do lots of different versions? I think I’ll know what I want when I see it.”
Why? Let’s say you’re buying an expensive, tailor-made suit or a fancy, custom dress. Would you say to the seamstress, “Can you make me six versions of the outfit? When I see them, I’ll choose the one I like best and pay for just that one.” Of course not. Just because graphic design is often a digital rather than physical/tangible product doesn’t mean that the designer puts any less time and care into the work. The design process will go more smoothly for both you and the designer if you first spend some time developing a detailed creative brief that helps the designer understand exactly what you’re looking for and are trying to achieve with the design — including information like your intended audience, preferred tone or aesthetic, budget, etc.
05. Don’t say: “Can you Photoshop it…?”
Why? Yes, Photoshop and other advanced design software can do some amazing things. But it can’t do everything; sometimes designers receive requests that really are technically impossible. And just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Some of the more extreme or outlandish effects and treatments that are possible are not necessarily the best choice from a design perspective — plus, we’ve all seen Photoshop choices backfire, such as a model with an oddly angled arm or leg or impossibly thin proportions. So ask your designer to give you some feedback and constructive criticism; she’ll usually have a pretty good idea of what will or won’t work for your design.
Continue reading: https://designschool.canva.com/blog/10-things-never-say-graphic-designer-probably/
Related article: 20 Articles to Make Yourself Better in Graphic Design World
