Tainted Creative Process
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- d_rek
Recently a co-worker of mine 'tainted' the creative process I usually go through when developing and presenting work. Through subjective decision making on my co-workers part they effectively allowed the client to pigeonhole us into a design direction that is for the most part, downright awful.
How the co-worker 'tainted' the process:
We were to present logo and identity concepts to a client. The co-worker wipped up a poorly set type solution in probably what was all of 20 minutes. They also introduced color at initial stages of the logo presentation, to which the client immediately latched onto.Unfortunately the client has been stubborn in their refusal to consider any other alternatives other than the initial studies they saw. I don't really have a problem with this - take the paycheck and move on type thing.
In hindsight though I am really bummed how the whole process worked out and how the other designer effectively ruined what might have been an otherwise decent piece.
Has anyone else experienced this?
*end rant
- harlequino0
This happened constantly at an old job. A co-worker who was very uncreative to begin with and was more sales-oriented always muddied waters by sort of brainstorming ideas in front of the damn client. So the client only hears the worst and most preliminary ideas, not something that has been refined and bounced around internally. Many many nightmare projects were the result.
- thecreativefire0
hate to say it but it seems to be the way of the (design) world. Many a good idea never makes it to the client because the salesperson (they like to be called account managers though) doesn't like it. And at my company designers NEVER even go to clients so we have to rely on them to put across the message we intended to portray.
- dskz0
What kind of work are you doing?
- thecreativefire0
B2B stuff for mostly technology companies. servers, vmware and intangible stuff like virtualisation.
- dskz0
i meant the original poser...
- d_rek0
dskz,
Mostly identity and branding work for print and web.
- skt0
sorry, this reads a little like...
me and a co-worker presented logo ideas, client liked the co-workers better.
waaaaaaah.
- d_rek0
skt,
Nah. I really don't care that the client liked his work more. The problem is the quality of the work that is being released. I simply feel that the client could have walked away with something with far more design consideration and functional/stylistic longevity. But such is...
- dskz0
d_rek,
Identity work, eh? So you didn't like that the co-worker did not show you the designs first to get approval? Is he working under you?
- exador10
I remember a very long time ago at an ad agency i was working for, myself and the creative director were working on an ad for Lever Ponds..can't remember which brand..doesn't matter....
anyhow, I recall that his was insanely clever, smart, and basically the perfect ad. was on point strategically and looked great.I on the other hand, being young and still learning the ropes in many ways, whipped up a photoshop nightmare loosely based around the brand logo and some collage-y type of effects...nothing very well thought out.
Mine was overwhelmingly chosen by the client.at first i was pretty happy...on top of the world. but when i had a chance to really compare the two back at the office, i recall chatting with the creative director (one of the best guys i've ever worked with) and said 'sorry dude....they should have picked yours'
yeah, he said....they should have....
but....they didn't ....so congrats and let me buy you a beer at lunch and i'll explain why they chose yours, and how next time we'll make sure you present something a bit better....you pulled that one out of your ass didn't you..lol'
I admited i had, and we had a good laugh, and i spent the next 2 years learning to be a better art-director.- haha, great, you pulled it out of your ass.jimzyk
- good story, sounds like an awesome CDacrossthesea
- Yeah. great story, that's a good person to work for/with.Gucci
- at least he bought you a beer instead of bitching about you on QBN like a fucking pussymonospaced
- harlequino0
d_rek - What I am taking away from your post that I related to, is that I don't think this is really so much about taste or quality, but it sounds like a bigger issue is the lack of a coherent or unified process in working with the client. There is no "Here is how we present work to a client, and guide them through the process." That was same problem we had, despite my trying to standardize communication just a wee bit.
If you have a shot at plugging up that hole in the process, maybe it will come with some automatic quality control.
- dskz0
(begin slow clap)
- d_rek0
dskz,
No, they are not working under me. We more or less work parallel with eachother. Their main discipline is industrial design but occasional they get asked to brainstorm or work conceptually for things outside of ID. Which is fine - they're actually quite good in that regard. Their problem tends to be in formal execution of ideas.Anyway... getting back to the question. The way it happened was that I had prepared the presentation for the client - which I thought was finalized. The other designer then proceeded to tack on their 'designs' to the presentation, bypassing any creative input from either myself or our Creative Director. The presentation was then sent off to the client via our account manager, who thought everything was hunky-dory.
- BaskerviIle0
A lesson everyone should learn early on (and one that VERY experienced creative directors I have worked with still forget sometimes) is:
Don't ever present anything to a client that you aren't 100% happy to run with because chances are they will pick the one thing you don't like.
- dskz0
Yeah even in parallel there should be some discussion about process.
- Leigh0
you got cockblocked.
- rupedixon0
@d_rek "...bypassing any creative input from either myself or our Creative Director. The presentation was then sent off to the client via our account manager, who thought everything was hunky-dory."
Sounds like there are also some procedural sign-off issues too. How did it get past the CD who's responsible for QA?
The thing is if you're going to establish a process - which it's always ideal to explain to the client before you start the project - it's essential that you stick to it. I bet you've learnt for next time :)
*six pennies
- vaxorcist0
Some clients do like to have "input" that often takes the form of trying to figure out the opposite of what the designers want.... maybe a passive-aggressive form of revenge against the snotty art directors?
But seriously, I once was on a pitch, we had a REALLY difficult client and a VERY SMART creative director.
We feverishly worked on 3 versions, the first one was the "real" one, with lots of thought, the second was something we could live with and the third completely came our of our collective asses when we found out the salesperson and client had agreed to 3, not 2 designs, as it said in the brief..... The client knew we originally had a list of 2....
The Creative Director pitched the last-minute version as if it was what we'd been struggling on for a long time, talked about how much thought went into it,then pitched the middle one as an alternative, and as I almost gasped, but didn't, he threw out the "real" design as if it was the totally last minute design...
... and the client immediately picked the supposedly last minute design....
- How is this smart? Can you explain how he supposedly knew they'd pick the last minute one?rascuache