Avoiding Design and Advertising Apathy

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August 31st, 2009

by Delane Barrus

I ran across the definition “Design is art optimized to meet objectives” by Shimon Shmueli of Touch 360. I have found myself defining what I do for family, friends and even clients. For clients, it is not something they usually ask but something we volunteer in the context of explaining, selling or defending a design or design process. When asked about the difference between a designer and a fine artist, I have said we are the whores of the art world. For a fee, we create art that meets the client’s needs. Or maybe it is that we work a client’s needs until it is art? I think I like Shmueli’s definition better.

I will often hear “I know you are the designer, but could you explore or change this or that”. I have gotten to the point I anticipate this and reply along the lines of “We really don’t design for designers. Almost everyone should be able to see, evaluate and critique design – even if you can’t necessarily design yourself.”

The truth is, we are not actually designing for them. Maybe I need to be more forthright about this? We are designing for a demographic that they may or may not be in tune to. We are hired to understand and execute a solution for that audience. Both client and designer can certainly get it wrong when we don’t listen close enough, run with a false preconception, or are just lazy and offer them exactly what we think they want.

Got Milk

An example of lazy, and my latest peeve are the ubiquitous “Got Milk?” rip-off campaigns. Just across the street at a Beauty Supply shop they have this fine advertising example:

There are similar billboards littered across the Wasatch front but this landscape flyer was inspirational. I ask for one last campaign to clean this up, maybe “Got An Original Idea?”

Designers are at fault when we give the client what they want instead of what they need. They used to say in school to throw out your first idea. That first idea is the one the client (and everyone else) also thought of. For a moment you share that magical connection in a tired, cliché design or concept. Amazingly the client may also pick the idea because they thought of it also! On two recent occasions I, or designers I know have wrestled with this. We had considered removing an inferior solution that we thought might be too gimmicky. I had even jokingly said “I bet they pick that one”. I will say the solution was not horrible in either case, but I believe their audience would have appreciated something a little more sophisticated or original, even if the client did not.

Better Brainstorming

Do we act the prima-donna and pout or do we accept this silent change in objective – do we trade inspiring the audience for stroking the client? Even worse is when we are the ones who suggested the “Got Milk?” in an attempt to flush out concepts or fill a pause in the conversation. But there are no bad ideas in brainstorming, right? Possibly, but there may be better ways to brainstorm than we are practicing now or we might need to better prepare ourselves for a brainstorming session. I liked the simple process presented at Business Balls including defining the objective, setting a time limit, and monitoring the follow up process. I would add the personal brainstorming outlined in this article is valuable preparation for a group brainstorming. Laziness is where both client and agency can run into problems. A client needs to value and understand why they hired us. The agency needs refine its processes and better prepare for the creative possibilities.