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by Robert Black
I found an interesting article on the challenges of management in a specialised profession. While it talks about the software programmers, it is pretty clear that the lessons apply equally to graphic designers.
The Iceberg Secret, Revealed
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000356.html
"It's pretty clear that programmers think in one language, and MBAs think in another. I've been thinking about the problem of communication in software management for a while, because it's pretty clear to me that the power and rewards accrue to those rare individuals who know how to translate between Programmerese and MBAese."
"If there's one thing every junior consultant needs to have injected into their head with a heavy duty 2500 RPM DeWalt Drill, it's this: Customers Don't Know What They Want. Stop Expecting Customers to Know What They Want. It's just never going to happen. Get over it."
[alpt comment: refreshing and accurate]
| Feedback by Audra Heye | Thursday, 13 June 2002 |
"I found this article to be fairly accurate re what clients want but I have
to grizzle about Joel's Important Corollary Four (obviously written by a
software designer)...It makes me cringe to think that he recommends 'several
different graphic design versions' for the client to choose from.. even
worse.. muck around with.
Just as the software designers become fed up with clients not knowing what
they want so do GD's. It's our job to determine what the clients
visual/communication problem is and solve it for them. That's not to say
that we shouldn't go away and construct as many versions as we feel
appropriate until we've found 'the one'. The issue with giving the client
extra options is that they invariably will try to pull out the 'mexican
tiles' from one design and stick them with the 'Norwegian wood block' from
another design..if you're lucky it might work but most often it doesn't. The
client ends up with a bodgey job (because they don't know any better) and
the designer ends up with a job they'd rather forget about than be proud of.
Perhaps design is only the top 10% - 5% - 1% of the iceberg... but even in
Joel's article it stresses how the importance and value of design (in the
client/customer minds) stretches way beyond this amount. Isn't it worth it
then to get it right and have it constructed by design professionals - not
clients who play with designs because it has more novelty than getting on
with their own job?"
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The views expressed this article are not necessarily those of AGDA. Please note that the information in this article is the opinion of the author only. I can therefore accept no responsibility for actions taken on the basis of this information. Copyright Andrew Lam-Po-Tang (andrew@lam-po-tang com), 1998-2008. Permission is granted to freely copy this document in electronic form, or to print, for personal use. Reprinting for non-personal use will require the express permission of the author (which I will generally be very happy to give).
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