Confessions from client side

Having managed the creative design process on client side for a number of years the reality is that visual work is viewed and commented on by many inside an organisation. Compare this to many other functions where work outputs are mostly shared with one or two others at the most who are usually subject matter experts. This means that working in a corporate role with creative responsibilities is exciting and confronting all at once.

Earlier in the year I came across a fun post on designtaxi.com. It showed a set of posters developed by a London designer called Anneke Short which portrayed the frustrations and realities that designers often face. A frank and comical insight into the challenges for a designer in the creative process when it comes to briefing expectations and perceptions.

I thought it would be fun to show the client side perspective. So here it is - Confessions of a Corporate Professional, what really goes on in a Brand Managers Mind.

Designer

Client

Yes, as clients we need and love to see the corporate or product logo. We are obsessed with it. Deal with it. It gives us reassurance that the design concept will work and we can show it to senior execs. I have seen so many great ideas for packaging and/or advertising get thrown out just because the logo was not visible or treated with care.

Designer

Client

Clients are paying for concepts and ideas. We are hoping that you can come up with them fast so we can get a quick idea of whether one of them is 'on track'  to move forward for approval. After all, we have a lot of stakeholder expectations to manage. A lot of the time our internal colleagues don't know what they want or how to articulate what they need creatively.

Clients are often not open about their motivations when they make a request like this. They do not want to admit they do not know what they or their internal stakeholders are wanting.  A good client requests this when they are trying to get an understanding of what their internal clients want and will share this information up front with the agency. This leads to the point that often clients and agencies enter into the full creative process when really it would be better to explore ideas ...rarely this happens.

Designer

Client

A lot of clients are not experts in creative techniques, production, the concept of studio management or creative software. They have no idea how long something takes to do or how hard it may be. If you then take into account that this is multiplied by the fact that there are internal clients requesting creative work with even less knowledge of these considerations, expectations of efficiency and timings become clouded.

While clients often want 'what they ask for, when they want it',  it is still worth spending the time to explain or identify the process up front. Assisting clients to manage expectations with their internal stakeholders and educating them to be confident to talk about the process helps them be a good mediator when necessary. It will also help them to positively position the design expertise and convey processes.

Designer

Client

Most clients have little choice about the technology platforms they use. In fact in large corporations 'fitting in' rather than 'standing out' is expected to a degree. The ability to put business success first rather than personal agendas.

Believe me, creative people from agencies are often intimidating to clients because they are perceived to be cool trend setters.

We know what agency professionals think of us corporate clients .... we are like PC from the famous MAC and PC campaign. You see us as uptight predicable conformists. This makes us feel slightly awkward around you, because we need to be restrained and considered in our thinking, even if we want to be more daring.

Designer

Client

This would be very frustrating for a designer. You would be amazed at how many clients secretly think they are creative because they have software at hand. Good clients know what their role is in the creative process which revolves around project management, relationship building, influence and professional credibility.

Seriously would a client ever say 'I know my way around a spreadsheet, so send me the budget and I'll play around with it.' It is assumed that there is financial expertise and planning inputs which have been utilised to derive the final version. Yet we often devalue creative work by playing around the edges and losing sight of the discipline needed to produce outcomes.

Designer

Client

Again this perception would be frustrating for a designer. Here's where it comes from.  Clients and their internal stakeholders do not think conceptually or in creative terms most of the time. We spend our days talking about business and industry activities and challenges. So when a designer talks in creative cliches with little business language the perception is they have little understanding of professional realities.


Thank you to Anneke Short for putting these thoughts toghether. They made me smile as I have had the similar thoughts when dealing with internal stakeholders trying to brief me on their needs on client side.  I hope this helps put some perspective on client thinking.