Beware of Relative Design
Written by Lily RoblesRelative Design is not about hierarchy or scale. What I term “relative” design, is actually the reason and impetus for clients to come to Opus looking for a redesign of something that has already been completed. Sometimes the request comes right away, sometimes it takes a year. Does this sound familiar?
“We had our VP’s daughter who graduated from design school do our logo.”
I have to smile when I hear people say things like this. First, because it’s new business and we are always grateful for new work. But also, because I understand what they’ve been through. I know that they will have a much better experience now that they are seeking new, non-relative designers.
"It’s nice to keep work in the family. It’s nice to reward a friend and give them an opportunity. It’s better than a stranger because we don’t know if we can trust them."
This is all nice, but most of the time, it doesn’t work for these exact reasons. Design is a professional service and when we think of design as a “favor” for a friend, we don’t give it the time and objective consideration required. It starts out friendly and wonderful, but can often become awkward, to the point where one or both parties just want it to be over.
One quick word about payment. The person should be paid fairly.
More importantly, the communication has to be open and explicit. For the client, don’t be afraid to tell the designer it doesn’t work for you and your business. If they are recent graduates, or don’t have much experience, you actually need to spend more time helping them understand your needs. Give them as much information as if they are, indeed, a stranger. Hearing you talk about your business, your customers, and your needs, will help them deliver. For the designer, be clear about what you need to do the best job possible and estimate how much of your time you think it will take. Don’t be shy about asking for their time to discuss the design, listen and ask questions. Don’t create opportunities to shortcut the process because you think it might be inconvenience them. What’s more inconvenient (and more costly) is if they don’t participate and end up with something that doesn’t work or fit their needs.
These are the common mishaps, but I do think this type of arrangement can work if both client and designer can be clear about intentions and process. If you have hired a “relative” or if you’ve been hired as a favor, please share any advice you can offer!
Graphic Design and PowerPoint
Written by Julia FrenkleMany times during my work as a graphic designer I have noticed an interesting relationship between graphic design and PowerPoint. There are so many bad presentations out there that working in PowerPoint as a graphic designer seems to have a stigma to it that you’re a “bad designer”. Most graphic designers won’t touch PowerPoint.
But it’s just a tool. Any tool can be used effectively or badly and how it is used depends on the artist. Photoshop doesn’t make a graphic designer and Powerpoint doesn’t break one.
High School Job Shadow
Written by Lily Robles |
Last Friday, Opus Design had a special visitor. Eliany, a student from Madison Park High School in Roxbury, came to do a job shadow because she is interested in graphic design. She said that several other students were assigned to Boston area advertising and design firms. She was shy but she looked me in the eye and shook my hand. She said she was learning Photoshop and Illustrator, so I grabbed a logo project and opened an AI file for her to see. I showed her the organized and logical approach we take to adding color to a logo. I showed her Pantone books and how the same ink can look like a different color from coated to uncoated paper. I know these are details that are probably not taught in the classroom. In fact, compared to the next thing she told me, they are almost unimportant.
“My teacher says that if you want to be a good designer that you have to know how to write.”
I wanted to jump up and down with happiness. Instead, I told her that her teacher was absolutely right and obviously, very knowledgeable. The next thing I showed Eliany was a blurb I was writing to present a recent project for a design competition. She said “I wish I could write like that.” This girl made me feel very proud and happy to help her. I assured her that she was on her way – just by acknowledging the importance of effective communication.
Eliany moved to Boston from Cuba 2 years ago only speaking Spanish. She’s already achieved so much by learning English, getting involved in the community, and seeing her potential as a graphic designer. She is a bright young woman and I look forward to her next visit when we’ll take a look at some of her design work. Maybe I’ll ask her to write something as well?
*** In January, Mayor Menino announced plans for transforming Madison Park into an “innovation school” by overhauling the curriculum and partnering with business and industry.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-17/news/30636298_1_madison-park-internships-students
Cool Stuff: 3M Ergonomic Mouse
Written by Lily RoblesIt took about two years after Julia raved about her new 3M Ergonomic mouse that I finally listened and tried it. That’s two years of stiffness and pain in my shoulder that sadly, I probably could have avoided. As I get older, I am getting less resilient to injuries, and the worst of them all, is that sneaky, quiet ninja, “repetitive motion.”
The 3M Ergonomic mouse might be the best defense against the RM ninja. A conventional mouse requires the use of your finger to click buttons. Repeated use of my index finger, for example, would cause strain in my hand, wrist, forearm, all the way up to my shoulder. I think this is because the normal posture for using the mouse is to have your arm “hover” over the table. The entire arm is engaged to balance on this small device and it never fully relaxes even though it’s seems like only your finger is moving.
What’s cool about the 3M mouse is that your forearm rests on the table, shoulder relaxed, and your thumb does the clicking. This is the largest muscle in your hand so it’s easier and more natural for it to do the work. It’s a bit more expensive than a regular mouse but we think they make such a difference that we’ve purchased them for everyone to use in the studio.
For all of you graphic designers and clients who spend a lot of time on the computer, this is a cool item worth checking out.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ergonomics/home/products/ergonomicmouse/
Happy New Year
Written by Lily RoblesHappy New Year and welcome to the first entry of the Opus Design Blog. My name is Lily Robles and along with Julia Frenkle, we run Opus Design, a small graphic design firm in Cambridge MA. Today we are celebrating our second year as a business. After working together for many years in a design studio as part of a strategy consulting firm, we are off on our own: putting in the crazy hours, obsessing over the design projects, and dreaming about the details and deadlines (more like nightmares). It’s consuming, challenging … and super fun.
Over the coming months we will share the design ideas, questions and discoveries we make throughout the year. Designers, please feel free to comment and say how much time you’ve saved with our tips and tricks* or maybe tell us that you already learned that trick back in 2005. (We never assume we're the first to figure things out.)
I worked in one place for 22 years. I learned mainly out of necessity when there were problems to solve…but thank god for my design colleagues who shared what they figured out behind their screens and said “hey guys, you gotta check this out!”
We hope this blog will offer readers much more than technical information. A good designer has the tools and can use them efficiently. But other elements are just as important; conversations with clients are part of the design; the questions* we ask are part of the design; the 5 second pause followed by the 5 second comment that we get from the art director is part of the design*; the stuff we have to try and throw out* because they suck — are all part of the design process. I will talk a lot about this process as well as the client’s participation* which is also consuming, challenging and super fun.
Julia and I want to thank our clients for trusting us with their projects. We’d like to thank our designers, apprentices* and vendors* for their time, talent and patience. We look forward to seeing you in the new year and wish you health and happiness.
*The asterisks indicate blog ideas or “more to come” on this topic. Please tell us if there are others you want us to write about!