“Working With Others” Response

All of the previous readings have taught us about the challenges of working with clients and teaching yourself how to innovate in a way that gets to the root of the problem rather than what they really want. In “Working With Others,” we come to an understanding that sometimes the clients can be the least of our problems if our co workers are less than receptive to communication. I really liked his commentary on the aggressive nature of the job as designer — so often we view other designers as competition, rather than a second brain to add to your own abilities. This is a profession built around working with others, so when we view our peers as rivals it ironically contradicts the whole purpose of the job. If we are able to communicate and respect each other, I feel we can do so much more for the client than if we were acting alone. I understand when there are differences in designs or methods to solve the client’s problem, but if you have that baseline of respect, I feel like it’s easier to work together towards a common goal rather than feeling like you have to prove your way is the better way. You don’t have to be best friends, or even friends at all, but as long as you can establish ground rules and an understanding through common goals, everything will work out just fine.