Howdy, long time no talk.
I am going to let y’all in on a little thing that I don’t commonly do. I am going to talk about me and my life. Usually, I post my reaction or reviews, or articles and videos done by others. But I got to vent :- ) (the initial point of the blog).
I am so worried about my job, I am not sure if they are dissolving my position or if they are going to contract me out to another company. I’m seriously worried about my position. And I am worried about my metal stability (would out sourcing be so bad?). I am getting irritated far too easily. As a designer and previously journalist, I have thick skin. I thought I had a very thick skin, between my past working in city government and leading the production on the area news paper, I have come to understand and learn criticisms, bureaucracy and stress of a time crunch by loosing hundreds of thousands of dollars on an almost impossible deadline… but right now, these peeps are driving me nuts.
Things for office etiquette- 1) be polite, especially with critiques. Its just good human nature and a little bit can go a long way. 2) Stay mature, as a early 20-something-year-old I should not have to tell a senior official to “grow up.” Working as a concierge at a business hotel, I find so many business travelers childish, rude, inconsiderate, self-indulgent and plain silly. Emails and posts that are equivalent to a 13-year-old girl’s texts are not a sign of running a company well. 3) keep your nose out of others’ business if it doesn’t apply to you or your concern, reading other’s computer screens is rude, critiques on a design not done is not constructive, particularly when you are not a designer. 4) Hold your temper- this on is for me… lord, I am trying. 5) Put yourself in others shoes don’t blare crappy glam metal hits from the 80s, it ruins others work momentum, I don’t blare my Coldplay. (BONUS: Don’t interrupt, this is extremely disrespectful especially if it is a repeat offender).
Designs are important, they elect new presidents, change social opinion, get you to buy a double beacon mushroom burger at midnight and sell billions of CDs for a singer that can not sing.
Here is a short list for Professionals dealing with Designers. 1) Do your job before- get them the information upfront and finished. If the text changes so does the balance of the design. Its not the designers job to proof read (if you haven’t notices I CAN NOT spell) 2) Trust the designer, they understand the Golden ratio, how to align, things to watch out for, complimenting colors and how to draw the eye deeper and deeper into the ad (i.e. it is a sign of a bad designer if everything is centered). Have actual critiques- “hmm, I don’t know, I just don’t like the background” … “ok.” Not helpful. This might take a little thought, but it is important, what specifically don’t you like about the “background” the color, the gradient, symbol ect. AND come up with alternatives (yeas, plural to alternative), if you can’t come up with any… maybe it should be left OR the “background” isn’t really the problem. Discuss the alternativeS, get his professional opinion, and allow him to critique suggestions and vice versa. This is how you get to the bottom of a good design. 3) Be organized; don’t send a fleet of emails and contradicting messages and one update after another “oh not the last on but this one”. Be relevant, clean and concise (like your ad/design should be). 4) Be polite, be nice but firm, understanding and demanding. Its not a designs job to rip you off (put some clip art on a word doc and call it an online ad). Let them work, get updates, keep invilved and make sure they are keeping you informed. 5) You contribution you deadline. Deadlines are important to hit, but if you give them and important piece of text the day before deadline… your not getting a quality or even finished ad.
(BONUS: do your research before hiring your designer. Make sure to look at their work and style, does it mesh with the aesthetic of your business clientele (and NOT your personal taste (i.e. Its great that you like the color blue… but that wont sell you hamburgers). Research and interview, all designers will have a book of previous work, this will help avoid creative differences later down the line).
Ahhhhhh…, *relief* Thanks for the intimate read.
No comments:
Post a Comment