Strategies for Working with Your Design Team

Less is Better
We all know that the process of design is sexy, and we all want to be a part of it. Just as accounting has a function to evaluate numbers, design has a function: to communicate. I've gathered a few tips to help you work better with your designer or design team.

1) Garner only a handful of key-decision makers, perhaps only 3 to form the committee. Bringing in about 8 players can only homogenize the design that clearly lacks passion.

2) Let your design team know who those decision makers are before the design process begins; this includes those making design decisions. Choose one person to communicate needs to the designer.

3) Get as much input from the committee today to prevent future disasters. You don't want the expense of the CEO's midnight run to the printer to "move things on press" or an outside party "changing colors."

4) Focus on your target audience at all times because your bottom line is revenue. Discussions about adding bells and whistles distracts from the real goal and can ultimately delay progress and lose vigor in the end.

5) Keep market research and corporate standards at hand to prevent design subjectivity. A good question to ask your designer is how might the brochure attract and generate sales leads. Questions asking to change colors, change fonts, or perhaps make the logo bigger begins to undermine the expertise of your design team. If you don't believe your design team is doing a good job, replace them. Don't try to be one of them.

In the end, we all know I will never try to play an accountant's role -even on TV. Alternatively, for those of you who want to play with colors, please save the options for painting your homes.