Guides or freestyle?
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 | 6 C ↓
⌃ Under Thoughts
When I start a new project I always have this thing in mind: “I should do it on guides or should I do it freestyle?”; and now let me explain to you what did I mean with “GUIDES”. For me “GUIDES” means, study the market, the opponents, consult every single thing for inspiration, do several sketches, read a 147 pages brief and so on. “FREESTYLE” – just do it. Well, I do it kinda freestyle. I don’t like briefs and all that shit, is not for me. I know some of you will say “Dude you are so idiot, how can you call you a designer”, but here I am, the idiot himself right here right now. For me is enough to know what is the brand name or the purpose and a few words about the field (the domain where this website, logo, poster should “act”).
I definitely think that clients really don’t give a damn when they wrote huge briefs, when they spend money on marketing and strategy, and almost 99% of my designs succeed like this, with me not giving a fucking damn about their strategy and 147 pages of brief. If you are able to describe to a designer your business in 3 word then do it and don’t try to impress him. What is even funny is that 80% of my designs were not even close to the briefs and what they wrote in there but they still accept it and do the thing really good with it. I am really sure that some of you will say “This guy is pure suicidal publishing this post on his public blog” … “You idiot maybe a potential client will read this, and you are out of business”.. whatever guys, because you know what? I think the clients know it. They know that is for nothing, they know that what they wrote there is not really what they want; and let me give you an example. I receive many briefs and when it comes to “keywords” part ( the part where the client describes what he want for the new design in just keywords) the clients goes like this: “fresh, young, powerful, classic, colorful, corporate, professional, …..” and so on. So can you design a fresh website for example in a classic way? unfortunately not. And here is the problem, because when they see this part of the brief they really go wild and start write in there all the beautiful words that they ever heard. Of course I bet I receive some good briefs but as I said…..whatever.
Another thing is our agencies or studios. I don’t know how’s thing in big agencies like Leo or S&S because I never care about how they work or what they do and so on. And if anyone from a big agency stumble upon my blog I really want to hear his point of view. But one thing is for sure, all the small ones are like this. “Hey Stefan, we work very professional, we do 2 weeks of research and then we design one week and bla bla bla….bla” and guess what, after 2 days they go like….“Yo Stefan do you got any chance to do anything?”……damn you people.
But enough with this, because from my point of view clients task is just to give you some little “guides” lets say, regarding what they want to achieve; not trying to make the job for you, and do a huge brief where they tell you what to do. So? Guides or Freestyle?
First of all I want you to know that I respect you as a person and a designer. Even though you sound completely over your head cocky with this piece – writing it as if you are the best because you deliver a job and everybody still loves what you do – I do understand your point of view. You have something that not many people do have by nature, but need to develop by training – which is a natural instinct and feel for design and what goes with what and what does not.
Those briefs are endlessly long and I get bored because a lot of companies can never just SAY in a simple way what the fuck they want – which makes our lives as illustrators, designers whatevers, so fucking complicated, while if they would just be simple about it ( as you said – in three words ) – everything could be so much easier.
A lot of people wish they were like you.
And this is exactly why.
You’re a natural.
What I have learned is that it is our job as designers and illustrator to read between the lines, to listen to what the client is saying, but actually understanding what he wants ( which is often the opposite of what he is saying haha )
Good luck with everything!
You are just to sweet.
Freestyle ROX!!!!:)
great article, Currently working freelance at the moment but i do like to mix it up, iI feel it depends on the client, and how they come across, the more professional the more i follow the ‘guides’ and vica versa. I also agree alot with what Tarona, you are a natural, and alot of designers do, or will aspire to you, even though you may come across slightly arrogant in this post…or is that just sincere and utter confidence….great post none the less your definately bookmarked!!
Dude… I’ve been watching you for quite a while now, I’ve seen the work you’ve done so far (or part of it at least – most of which is fantastic and you deserve congratulations for it), and I also think I have a little insight on what you’re trying to say here.
The main reason you’ve reached this conclusion is the fact that the Romanian market is totally untrained and clueless about the way they should be writing briefs for designers. Designers need special briefs, different from marketers, developers or any other part of the company or online communication team. Very few companies or agencies are aware of that, and that’s why talented people like you got used to throwing away generic briefs or market studies because they really offer no valuable insight whatsoever.
But you know what the big problem is regarding this approach? Design trends or designers’ instincts are usually right on the spot for website users’ needs, but only if the designers fit right into the target of the site or they have a large amount of experience. But being in the site’s target or experience alone can sometimes fail you, and then you’ve got no excuse for giving life to inappropriate interfaces and layouts, if you haven’t read at least the essential part of the brief or study a client has made especially for you.
The solution from my perspective is every designer should try to teach and model the clients that he or she works with, so that they’re prepared to accommodate his or her specific information needs. Otherwise, unexpected and rather unfortunate results may occur, and everybody loses.
Exercise caution! Freestyle’s awesome for your own ego and for breaking through the creativity boundaries that clients artificially set for you, but when huge projects come about, at least basic information is necessary for succeeding in delivering the best quality of design you’re capable of.
Hey ho. I appreciate your kind words and your comment. The first thing I want to say is that my clients are 10% from Romania so I was not talking about Romanian clients or US or whatever. I was talking about their briefs in general. Is true that if the clients will have the design culture they will understand how to make a proper brief for designers and as you said not for marketers. Is true that we should educate them and so on. My solution to this was to talk with them more; in this way I understand more about them as a person’s or clients and what they expect from the project.
You made a good point anyway and I appreciate this, but I tend to go “free with style” because I use to work like that. In fact is about a freelancer work and I know that a freelancer is commissioned for his own style not to make design from a specific brief.
I don’t know, is how I see things right now and how I use to work, but I could b wrong.