Wednesday of last week I went to see three partners from Pentagram — Paula Scher, Michael Bierut and Michael Gericke — present "Designing New York’s Visual Identity" at the Museum of the City of New York. Most of the pieces weren't new to me, but the discussion portion got my mind stirring.
One of the Michaels, I believe it was Bierut, mentioned his preference for redesigns over creating new branding. Responding to a question about how to deal with poorly received design, Scher explained that this is actually a failure in understanding the client's needs. Together, these points got me thinking about the anxiety that comes with new design projects.
I enjoy design work, but I often get frustrated when there isn't a clearly defined set of problems. Redesigns tend to be easier because the questions are clearer. Not only do you have an existing model for reference, but the client has a better sense of what's missing in the current setup.
The key to keeping frustrations at bay is defining as many questions and answers as possible before putting pen to paper. If you don't have all the questions, go back to the client. If you don't have all the answers, go to your coworkers or peers. It sounds simple, but it's something I rarely remember to do when I'm feeling stressed.
04/30/08 1:37 PM
I agree that re-designs are much easier, and think that they are often less stressful and in most cases more rewarding for both designer and client. The designer gets to design something that looks better visually, and the client gets something that works or functions better.
I'm currently in the middle of a new brand build for a new client. They are quite a large setup and require an awful lot of work doing in a short period of time (Brochures,Stationary,Van Graphics, Signage, Mag Ads, Websites etc etc). As sole designer, Ive been banging my head against a brick wall all week. They have nothing for me to refer to and no real ideas of their own - the pressure on.
Like you say, the key to keeping frustrations at bay is defining as many questions and answers as possible before putting pen to paper. This is great advice that I wish I too had remembered to do at the begining of my project.
To STRESS this point to all budding designers I want you to you know that I came across this thread by typing 'I used to enjoy designing but now' into google.