6 things to consider before you bring in a design team
Over the last thirty years or so, I’ve had the great privilege of working with exceptional clients and gifted designers through the process of designing systems, services, environments, identities, retail prototypes, communication platforms, products, you name it.
Most were excited about doing great work, thrilled to be bringing something authentic and different to organizations, consumers and perhaps changing the world.
But, a recurring theme emerged. Often something was left out of the equation that got in the way of the great outcomes they wanted.
In the zeal to get going on the “project” these well meaning clients frequently forgot, or shied away from basic directives that needed to be established before they brought in a design team.
When this stuff is left vague or unresolved, opportunities for doing something truly remarkable are squandered, fees are burned up, time gets wasted and there’s that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of everyone’s stomach that the project is going sideways and the flame is getting turned down .… not good.
I offer these 6 directives for success. Things to do before you start designing anything.
1. Know thyself — know who you are, what your values are, what you stand for, first. Dig deep, memorialize them, make them visible to all, put them into action.
2. Be honest — be ready and willing to tell the unvarnished truth and choose a design team that will too.
3. Be willing to step into the unknown — you already know what you know, but what you don’t know will likely be eye-opening, inspiring, perhaps make you a little uncomfortable, and give you great value if you’re willing to go there.
4. Aim high — let everyone know that you’re looking for the best possible solutions, mediocrity won’t do.
5. Be inclusive — bring into the process those who will benefit the most; the team charged with using what you’re designing and the grumpy skeptics that think that this is the “soft” stuff.
6. Have a heart — find ways to show that you care about the skills, diverse opinions, points of view of each other, it will pay off immeasurably.
These are directives for greatness. For some they may be second nature and I salute you. For those that find them challenging, let me recommend that you give these 6 points a try on your next project and see if your process is more focused, more fun and yields more powerful results.
I have a strong hunch that it will.
