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Do You Feel Design Will Rule The World?
(Snippits from our oh so popular Digital Glue Podcast!)
Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought. ~ Albert Einstein
In the not-too-distant future, creatives will rule the world. No joke!
And I am not just saying this because I live a life of creativity. It’s a matter of fact that the interconnected systems we use to function within the business world (and society), whether in communication, design, finance, and so on … are increasing in complexity.
But before we dive into the thought of us nerdy creatives taking over the world, let’s talk “shop” when it comes to working with someone like us …
Graphic design is a subjective process. There is no set-in-stone “right-way” to go about it. It is a process of understanding, having realistic expectations, patience, and of course excellent communication that will go a long way towards a successful outcome.
Every small business needs to work with a graphic designer from time to time in order to create exceptionally branded marketing materials. From personally working extensively on both sides of the fence, here are some tips I have come up with to help make things flow smoother and give YOU as the client insight into how you can contribute to a successful outcome …
TIP #1: BE REALISTIC WHEN ESTABLISHING TIMEFRAMES.
This is exceptionally IMPORTANT!!! Be clear on when you need things completed, if things need to be a certain way on the first draft, the final proof or even the final virtual or print-ready piece. Please understand that some things in design-land can be more time-consuming than you may think. For example, it only takes a second to say, “clean up the background,” but it could take the designer hours to do it depending on the image. There are a lot of specialized skills and knowledge that goes into a professionally designed piece.
TIP #2: PROVIDE EXAMPLES WHEN POSSIBLE.
Providing examples that you like is probably the single best way to fast track the design process. A picture really is worth a thousand words.
You may not think that this is your job, but it’s important to understand that the graphic design process is a collaboration — so the clearer you can communicate your vision, the better. The designer will of course still come up with the original work, but examples give a great starting point. Especially if you have something strangely particular in mind. If you don’t … then let the designer be free! As long as they have a clear understanding of your brand and your desired outcome, things will come out gloriously in the end.
TIP #3: DON’T EXPECT PERFECTION ON THE FIRST DRAFT.
There is a reason it’s called a “first draft” … It’s a starting point. This is where your input is crucial, and any talented and respectful designer will appreciate your suggestions and constructive criticism.
TIP #4: AVOIDE GENERALIZED FEEDBACK.
Unfortunately, there is nothing very constructive about “make it pop”! What exactly does that even mean? And what is a “wow factor”? … Specific examples or descriptions are much more useful and appreciated far more than vague descriptors. It’s one thing to give the designer some creative freedom, but it’s quite another to expect them to read your mind. (Some of our clients and I joke about this sometimes!)
TIP #5: CONSIDER ALL THE COMPONENTS.
There are 5 main components to graphic design … colours, fonts, images, layout and overall aesthetic.
Commenting on them individually when giving feedback can be very helpful in narrowing down what you would like to see in the finished piece. But sometimes, as the client, it can be hard to know exactly what you do and do not like about the design.
However just saying “I don’t like it” isn’t going to be very constructive. If you’re truly uncertain of what it is you’re not liking, then start with the main ideas you have that are holding the design back and work from there.
TIP #6: DON’T BE A CONTROL FREAK.
Always allow space for the designers input and creativity.
One dynamic that can happen if you are very particular or if happen to lose faith, is that you might start to micromanage. The designer slowly gets excluded from the creative process and at some point, they may eventually give up artistic input altogether. A good designer will know how to remedy this. But if you feel this is happening, the best thing to do is take a step back, gain some altitude, talk it out, then try to clarify exactly what you want in order to get the project back on track.
TIP #7: DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS.
You, as the client, are paying for a creative process and point of view, but you are still the boss. If the image the designer selected confuses you, then ask them to explain it.
If it confused you, it may confuse your audience as well. But also try your very best to keep an open mind when the designer is explaining their rationale for said choice, as it might be an eye-opener and make more sense than you saw in the beginning.
And lastly …
TIP #8: KNOW WHEN TO SAY WHEN.
Things will never be perfect. It is easy to obsess and lose perspective when you are too close to something. So, take a step back, take a deep breath, and try to view things from the point of your target audience.
Most right brain creative activities, projects and tasks are extremely hard to automate, which means this process cannot be replaced by a set of step-by-step instructions. Business owners don’t just want “things” anymore, they want their brand to have meaning and purpose to those who buy. They want their brand to showcase their story, their voice, personality, true meaning, empathy, and a sort of playfulness. This way their audience will be able to feel “why they (meaning you) do what they do” all the while being able to laugh, have fun and make a real human touch connection.
Creativity is literally the highest form of intelligence.
And it is an intelligence not easily replicated by machine.
It is very difficult to quantify the effects of creativity and imagination because it not only builds a greater bank of knowledge, but it also broadens horizons on absolutely all levels. So, we must only look as far as the technology sector has brought us over the last decade or so, in order to see how just how amazing, the creativity and imagination-based designers and developers have built upon existing knowledge to create better, more effective, fun and stylish designs, platforms and products.
And to touch on an oh so fitting quote by none other than Albert Einstein himself …
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Now let’s dive into the question at hand … Will design ever rule the world?
Without creativity and imagination, we embark on an extremely dangerous course of stagnation because knowledge in isolation only reproduces past results. Repetition is certainly useful, but only to a certain degree. And action without innovation will eventually make our world highly unfulfilling and frivolous. Great ideas do not arise from a chambered effort to expel our creative intelligence, but rather a highly extensive process of expressing our thoughts and energy without self-scrutiny. Which brings me to a shortlist of reasons why design (and creative individuals) will rule the world one day …
- TAPPING INTO CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION.
Right-brain individuals naturally make connections between different and complex ideas in order to create new and innovative solutions. We’re all about solving pain points in a way that most cannot fathom. Since we do not keep our noses stuck in a book of “rules”, we are able to think completely outside the box, drawing parallels to things that others just do not see. While left-brain thinkers may see our process(es) as risky and unruly, they just aren’t wired to see the connections us right-brained individuals see. Therefore, making both individuals a great team which house complimentary skills. - VISUALIZING AND CREATING IMPACTFUL DESIGNS.
To boil things down … Design thinkers tend to brainstorm the design process in an ideal way by combining creativity, the power of story, empathy, and rationality. We tend to take people’s needs and desires into account — and use them to determine the meaning of truly good design.
Our visual, technology-driven world is kind of like a giant ass 3D puzzle, where all the pieces that make up the business landscape are becoming clearer as the days are long. More often than not, right-brained creatives are stepping up to provide invaluable innovations where conventional models are no longer able to. We strive for success while completing “the puzzle” with its last piece, the business skills piece. - THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE “WHY”.
Right-brain folks are highly motivated by method of understanding. We tend to naturally focus on the WHY of any (and all) pain points which heightens our problem-solving approach to reflect a deeper comprehension of the task at hand. However, the conventional left-brain individuals’ approach to solving problems often miss-fires on the creative side of things, in that it fails to define said pains accurately and doesn’t always fundamentally understand WHY said visual (or mechanical) problem needs solving to begin with. This WHY step #1 is extremely critical to conceiving an effective solution. - THE POWER OF POWERFUL STORYTELLING.
Many times, you’ve heard me harp about the powerful ways storytelling can bring one’s brand and designs to life. I repeat myself about this as often as I do because it’s that important.
Storytelling is the paramount in connections being made. In sharing our business’ story with the world, we generate appealing emotions to our audience’s brain by adding facts, figures, data, and most importantly “the feels”. Stories are humanistic and very powerful (if done right). So, by embracing your brand’s story, you can tap into your audience’s inherent power to motivate, persuade, unify, and move them.
Human’s value meaning over data.
And nobody breaks that statement down better than Brene Brown …
Owning our story can be hard, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy -- the experiences that make us most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.
Next up on the list …
- CHALLENGES EQUAL BIG RISKS.
Right-brain individuals are known to take risks. We instinctively love a good visual challenge and being the forward-thinking individuals, we are … we usually have a limitless pool of ideas and solutions stashed in our virtual back pocket. We’re not afraid to make mistakes — as the best innovations usually emerge from said mistakes. (And who doesn’t love a happy accident? Am I right?!)
We nerdy right-brain folk, tend to explore and reveal humanity despite that strong internal pull that demands perfection — and those ever-present thoughts and feelings that the rest of the world does too. Risk taking is imperative to the creative process because it pushes the boundaries and expands self-imposed limitations in exchange for a level anyone has yet to imagine.
Imagination is not only the unique human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. It is conceivably the most transformative and revelatory capacity; it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
So, if you take away anything from this, please remember, imagination is the new currency. It is only with creativity and imagination that one can remove the limits of conventional thought. And that is why designers, programmers, artists, and creative business owners will eventually rule the world … and our future.
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Crystal Kordalchuk
Crystal is an artist, a writer, an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, and down-right proud of it NERD!.
Struck with a love for #AllThings creative at a very young age, Crystal dreamed of a life fueled by her passion for creating and bringing the stories and images in her mind into reality.
As she worked toward her dreams, she earned a diploma as a Computer Applications Specialist then another in Graphic Design and from there began to develop her extensive background in multimedia and the arts. She began her worked in the magazine industry as a layout designer and had a succession of design jobs thereafter. It was her role as a graphic/web designer that gave her the first real glimpse of her future. Soon she began a side job as a freelance designer while keeping one foot in the corporate world. A spark was lit! She turned her freelance gig into a full-time business combining design work with her other passion: creating organization from virtual chaos.
Crystal is one of the most organized individuals on the planet. She is by all means a Zen master of her crafts. She excels at helping others become “untangled” and provides her clients with tools to run their businesses smoothly while she takes care of the details behind the scenes. Thus Virtually Untangled was born. A successful business where her work as a top notch creative in graphic and web — with a twist of virtual assistant — married into one amazing place where clients can come with their virtual messes and become magically untangled. Crystal can always make sense of even the most unorganized chaos and offers a virtual detox of order and peace, so her clients can get busy doing the work that they love the most.
