How to Work with a Creative

I need to start by stating I am a graphic designer and so write from that perspective, but creatives come in many forms; graphic designers, web designers, fashion designers, photographers, painters, your hair dresser, your sushi chef, artists and artisans of all kinds. However many people seem to confuse creative with technician. Lets define these two terms a little better before we continue. Thanks goes to dictionary.com here. tech·ni·cian (těk-nĭsh'ən)    -noun.   1. An expert in a technique, as: 2. One whose occupation requires training in a specific technical process: an electronics technician; an automotive technician. cre-a-tive (kree-ey-tiv)  –adjective 1. having the quality or power of creating. 2. resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative: creative writing.  3. originative; productive (usually fol. by of). 4. Facetious. using or creating exaggerated or skewed data, information, etc.: creative bookkeeping. Judging from these two definitions while a creative can be a technician, the main difference is the imaginative and creative factor. The technicians work on the car maybe even assemble it, creatives design and create it from nothing, it's that simple. If you don’t need someone to help figure out exactly what you want, if you can tell someone exactly and in specific detail, and are able to give directions on how to create it. You need a technician, not a creative. Creatives generally come at a higher cost then technicians because you are getting something unique. You are paying this person to come up with a; new idea, concept, product, strategy, whatever it may be. Creativity comes at a premium, but if someone sounds like they are going to be expensive wait for a quote, they may be your best value. Also while most creatives can function as technicians, unless pre-discussed, many consider it an insult to their abilities and a waste of time to be placed in a role where they just produce something with little or no input on its creative process. If this is the case save your money and find a technician. So what can you do to work better with your creative? Glad you asked. The short answer is simple! Communicate, trust, give them some freedom, and make fair expectations. Now let's go into some more detail on that so we better convey what I mean. Be able to describe what you want, who you are, and what message you're trying to send. A creative who asks you a thousand questions before starting a project is not stupid. In fact they are probably the person you want to be working with the most. I have yet to meet anyone who can read minds, but with enough conversation and communication peoples dreams and ideas can be figured out. I know it can be annoying to constantly be pestered with questions like; How would you describe yourself? Who would you most compare your business with? Who would you like to use your products? What feeling and emotions do you want to portray. Who is your audience? What colors do you feel strongest about? However the person asking these questions isn't trying to annoy you, they are trying to narrow down how best to cater to you, and what you want. Be available to discuss ideas, and critique work. It's very rare that someone gets it right the first time. No matter how many years someone has been doing something, when you hire someone to work for you the first time, it’s the first time. It's very important to understand this. Be able to offer constructive criticism and feedback. "I just don't like it", "It sucks,", "It doesn't work", hardly classify as helpful feedback. "I really don’t like the way the colors are working, but I like the design" or "What if we moved the text a bit, I just don’t like it there." is good feedback. Another good example would be telling your chef you think you would really like their new dish if it weren't as salty. It gives direction, and moves a project forward. In a good creative process the client should play a vital role and be involved with the outcome. I have fired clients who just could not tell me why they didn’t like something, why it sucked, and couldn’t invest the time to figure it out. Once again creatives are not psychics. Give some freedom to work with direction, and when your unsure trust in the abilities of your creative. Giving feedback then stepping away and trusting your creative is vital. Yet trust can be a double edged sword. I once did a project for a particular friend. He had seen my work, had seen what I could do, and expected me to be able to create the perfect flyer for him, with no input or feedback. He put too much trust in how well I knew him and his project. Asking for input soon turned into "Your a graphic designer you should just be able to make this." "Why should I know how I want this to look? I'm paying you to make it." "I don’t like it, just redo it." The project eventually devolved into the client trying to micromanage my creative process, while still not getting the feedback I needed to successfully complete the project. I let the project go too long before firing the client and it damaged a friendship. I use this example because it illustrates two extremes of trusting in your creative; giving so much trust that you expect them to deliver the moon, and giving so little trust that you offer no freedom to try. Which leads us to… Make fair expectations. Mind readers are fiction. Can't stress it enough! Expect miscommunication. Telling someone, who just invested a great deal of effort into something, that their work is complete crap does not go over well. On the other side of the coin telling someone they don’t know what they are talking about doesn’t bode well either. People don’t often know how to convey an idea, or are unsure on what they even want to say. Showing some forgiveness to uncertainty or insults, and providing thought out replies makes working with anyone go smoother. Be specific in what you want, and expect. Asking for a haircut will not get you a shampoo, styling, and a perm.  Asking for a logo will not also get you business cards, letterhead, and a website. You get what you pay for. If you want the $50 logo don’t expect to be getting something that doesn’t look like it was produced in under two hours, with no real thought, and doesn’t look like a million other logos. 2009-09-25T20:25:29Z

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how-to-work-with-a-creative

2009-10-04T10:41:49Z

2009-10-04T10:42:54Z

Creatives come in many forms; graphic designers, web designers, photographers, your hair dresser, artists and artisans of all kinds. This is a brief introduction to the creative process, and how to get the most out of working with a creative.

How to Work with a Creative

2009-10-05T05:34:19Z