Why Limitations Lead to Great Design
As designers, most of us have experienced an inspired creative vision suddenly crumble when we learn about the long list of project constraints. Whether it is a small budget, a lightening-speed timeline or the need to fit large amounts of copy into a tiny space, the first reaction is usually a big
sigh of disappointment. While this is totally understandable, I’ve noticed
that these very projects often turn out to be the most original and innovative work I create.
I recently experienced this phenomenon while designing for the Glassdoor Sales Kick Off event (SKO), a three-day internal conference for about 450 people. Throughout the design process, I collaborated with a variety of cross-functional teams to visually bring the event to life through badges, jackets and awards to signage, presentation decks, a wall display and stage design.
The main limitations I encountered during this project included a tight budget, working with multiple stakeholders and an emphasis on creating a personalized experience for conference attendees. Let’s take a look at each of these constraints, the effect on the design and the end results.
Tight Budget: The design budget was quite tight for an event of this size, so there was constant pressure to develop creative solutions that could be implemented simply and efficiently. Halfway through the timeline, I discovered that the stage backdrop design I enthusiastically created was out of budget and there was no chance of rustling up additional funds. The trick was to not get frustrated and give up, seeing this as an endpoint on the creative path, but instead, to view this limitation simply as a continuation of the creative process. This is actually the place where things get more interesting.
We went through rounds of negotiations with the stage crew, asking numerous questions about the biggest expenses in the printing process. Was it the materials? The size? The number of colors used? We eventually found a fairly simple workaround. By printing the design on 78 interlocking square panels we resolved all cost issues. On top of meeting our budget needs, this solution actually enhanced the event theme which was about “going all in” and coming together as a team. The interlocking panels nicely mirrored the gridded square event branding applied across all designs.
Multiple Stakeholders: As to be expected, a number of stakeholders were involved in the SKO event design, everyone with different priorities and business needs. The Sales team envisioned an event that was inspiring, energizing, new and fresh, while the Events team emphasized the importance of efficiency, staying within budget and meeting vendor requirements and timelines. I am on the Brand team, and it was important to us that the designs were high-quality, consistent, worked together as a system and clearly connected to the larger Glassdoor brand. Integrating all these perspectives encouraged me to think beyond my go-to design options and I found myself surprised by the creative results.
One example that comes to mind is designing the cover of the presentation template. To stay consistent with the event branding, I used a gridded pattern of solid squares and cropped images, incorporating colors in-line with the Glassdoor palette. In order to add more energy and variety, I animated all the pieces to come together and then rotate through a series of candid photos of conference attendees. To be mindful of optimizing event efficiency, I created the animation directly in PowerPoint which minimized the file size and avoided awkward presentation transitions.
Thoughtfully working through the needs of each stakeholder not only brought the design to the next level, but more importantly, increased the impact of the SKO event for everyone involved.
A Personalized Experience: To create a unique and memorable experience, we incorporated photos of actual sales team members into a number of the designs. This generated a variety of technical constraints because a handful of shots taken on someone’s phone was not going to cut it when it came to creating a 16x16 foot wall design. Almost all of the photos we had were too small, out-of-date and over-used. Again, this is where things get interesting and the creative ideation kicks into high gear.
To overcome the lack of high-quality images of current sales team members, the Brand team organized two separate internal photoshoots. I also brushed up on some new Photoshop skills to maximize sharpness and clarity, edit out distracting backgrounds, and adjust image lighting. This resulted in a cohesive set of engaging images. The final wall design displayed a fun, collage-like compilation of sales team photos of varying sizes and scenes that was much more meaningful to conference attendees then any stock photography could have achieved.
It has been quite rewarding to hear about the surprised reactions as attendees entered the front door and were greeted by a large showcase of familiar faces and special moments. Throughout the event, people continued to return to the wall to find themselves and look through the images of their teammates working together and having a great time. Using this limitation as inspiration to develop a new set of photography assets truly enriched the event and also expanded our library of resources.
Through the SKO event design experience, as well as many other projects, I realized that we don’t create great designs in spite of the constraints we face, but actually, in part, because of them. It is the limitations that force us out of our comfort zones and safe ideas, and into something new and often unexpected. Design constraints also empower us to better achieve organizational goals. By incorporating the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders, we extend our reach and influence.
So the next time I am greeted by a daunting list of design constraints, I hope to welcome them in, knowing they will ultimately fuel our success.
