Design on the mind

Last night, when I got home from work, all hell had broken loose, my daughter (aged 3), had stuck her hand onto a hot light bulb and was screaming the place down. After putting her hand under the tap for 5 minutes I rushed at top speed to the chemist round the corner.

The pharmacist recommended a spray to take the pain away. Great! It was then that I realized I had left my purse at home! Not so great! (They were about to close).
“No problem” he said, “take the spray now, and call by in the next few days to give me the money”. What a nice guy! This kind of trust is rare these days I think, don’t you?

What on earth does this have to do with design? I hear you ask. Well it got me thinking about the trust involved in the relationship between designer and client. In fact, its not just designers; in many of the service industries there has to be an element of trust between the parties. As a designer, I think you only have to have your fingers burned once before you protect yourself, legally, against the sort of people who want to rip you off.

Most design agencies have staggered or stage payment systems in place so as to avoid the situation where the client disappears into the sunset without paying at the end of a three month project. I suppose for web designers, at least there is the option to just take the website down if the client doesn’t cough up. Although this doesn’t pay for the hours of design work spent on the project.

Aside from the money issue, there is another element of trust that rears its head every now and then. Why is it that people think that designers should do spec work for nothing? In other words, come up with preliminary work for no payment to pitch for a job or ‘prove’ that they can do it? Surely the client looked at the designer’s portfolio and liked the work. That is what a portfolio is for, is it not? The client should trust that the designer will deliver the goods, or don’t hire him/her.

Design is a professional service, not a commodity. What do you think?

Toni

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As a web design company, we have clients from a whole range of different businesses. We have been approached by all sorts of companies; some of which we have found to be ethically unsound. Either the line of business is unethical or they have wanted us to do something we don’t agree with, in either case, the client is shown the door.
 
Aside from the obvious moral stance of not wanting to be involved with the project; working with an unethical company will more than likely damage your reputation.
 
Would you work with a client whose product or values you don’t agree with? Where do you draw the line?

Toni

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Well, let’s try to define what makes a design good; I suppose a design can be ‘good’ if someone says that it is – so a validation of approval means that it works for that individual. But does approval from the right person makes it good? Think about controversial works of art like a Damien Hurst piece for example, you probably couldn’t get a more divided opinion on that!

Perhaps a design should be considered good if it succeeds at its purpose. A chair design for example has to fulfill a practical function i.e. not falling over when it is sat on. But the aesthetics of the design of the chair are a different matter and all people have different tastes.

It is the same for graphic design, a logo design succeeds when it projects the image and ethos of the company, it is distinctive, memorable, appeals to the target market and it stands out from its competitors. But I can guarantee that each person’s perception of what looks good and ticks those boxes will be different.

With any type of visual design the perception of whether it is good or not is totally subjective. People’s expectations will be different according to what their previous experience has been or what they have aspired to in the past. Take the London Olympic logo, someone somewhere along the line must have thought it looked good, but most of us think it is an absolute monstrosity. Perhaps it was a classic case of ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’. So the question is; is it a good or a bad design? (Personally I have to say very bad!)

So picture the situation – a company approaches the graphic design company wanting a new image, their old logo looks like it came from the seventies and their brand needs a serious make over. After initial talks and discussions with decision makers the design company comes up with a stunning choice of logos for the client to have a look at.

Most of the panel like design number one, but the director doesn’t (it was his son who designed the old one from his bedroom during his gap year). He sets the designer on a new direction with the design (a visually painful one). But the Director ultimately has the final say on the company’s new logo and even if all around him can see that his choice is going to be detrimental to the company image, he forges ahead. Is his decision right or wrong?

I’m sure there are hundreds of graphic designers out there who have come across the scenario; the client is hell bent on pursuing his choice of design (for whatever reason) and then has the designer develop it further into even more of an eye sore. As a designer you can only do your best to fulfill the brief and try to guide the client in the right direction, but if they really won’t take your advice you can only wonder why they hired the services of a professional designer in the first place. Surely it was because you know the industry and have infinite knowledge and experience in your field.

So is a good design that the client doesn’t like, still a good design? Or is the poor design that the client does like, a good design? What do you think?

Toni

Related Article: Logo Design Trends

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When studying graphic design, should part of a university’s role be to prepare you, the student, for the “real world” industry, or should university just be an outlet for your creative experimentation, whilst you still have the chance to reside in its liberal environs?

Working within the industry, and looking at students and their degree shows, it appears to me that a lot of these students have no sense of reality within their work.

Looking at design in its most basic form, it’s purpose, in my opinion, is to communicate a message. Yet when visiting some of these degree or award shows, although the work may be visually attractive, the message is often not visible – what are these designs trying to say? The foremost important aspect of design in the working world is to convey your client’s message successfully – be it if they are selling trainers, showcasing their services or campaigning against climate change. If your design does not portray this message to the target audience, is your design working?

I don’t mean to say that design can’t simply be done for the sake of designing – design can be created just for attraction’s sake – but if graduates are leaving university without examples of work or skills that show that they can portray a message successfully through design – why would potential employers trust that these graduates can produce effective work for their clients?

Speaking from experience, university was an amazing opportunity to get the creative juices flowing, to experiment freely and grasp some truly exciting projects and concepts (as well as enjoying all of the social aspects!). But does it really teach you the purpose and practice of “good” design – the importance of communicating the message? Does it prepare you how to work within the industry – that deadlines are short and tight, that the client is always right (even when they are wrong), that you must be able to effectively work as part of a team, that you are inexperienced, albeit fresh-faced, and that you have a lot more to learn than you think?

Beginning to work within the design industry is an exciting and daunting prospect – prepare yourself by being responsible for your own learning, and although no one can fully prepare you for what happens, universities could perhaps lend a hand by offering more substantial theoretical and practical advice to students earlier in their studies.

What do you think?

Becky.

Related interesting articles:
Design Skills to Pay the Bills - Computer Arts Magazine
What is it like to be a recently qualified designer? Graphic Design Blog
Diplomacy in Design - Computer Arts Magazine

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Podcasting, it’s the latest thing in digital media! thepodfactory, based in Bristol are talented and experienced in producing high quality audio and video podcasts for the tourism and leisure industry. Their clients include Bristol Old Vic, Destination Bristol, Longleat, The churches conservation trust and many more.

thepodfactory approached us at Deckchair to design and build a website that would not only showcase examples of their work but would have the impact required to appeal to the tourism, education and commerce markets. The website is visually exciting and incorporates podcast examples, case studies and a whole wealth of information and advice on podasting, all easily accessible through intuitive navigation.

 thepodfactory has the skills and know-how to help you to integrate podcasting with your existing advertising and marketing activity. Most companies and businesses can benefit by using podcasting, externally and internally, so take a look and see what they can do for you. Click here for professional podcasting in Bristol.

Toni

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Well done to Sham Tanna, our photographer who shot the billboard photograph for our advertising campaign for the Environment Agency. The graphic designers at Deckchair came up with the concept for the campaign and Sham worked under our creative direction to produce the image. We are proud to announce that the picture has been announced as the Winner of the AOP Open 2007 with five Judges Choice Awards and the winner of the Public Vote Award. (Thanks to all of you who voted for us)

From over 1,700 entries and an exhibition of 84 images, the Open Judges chose the picture as their number one, describing it as ‘captivating’ and ‘arresting’ with “a dynamic tension and a strong suggestion of narrative that made it intriguing and at the same time compelling” (Terence Pepper, National Portrait Gallery).

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Thank you for smiling at me! You know who you are! (although you probably don’t read this blog)

What a difference it makes to smile and be friendly toward your fellow human beings. ‘Service with a smile’ is the basis for all customer care training. We have all experienced the grumpy, rude individual who is clearly not happy to serve you your lunch. They plonk the food in front of you with all the social graces of a baboon. You tentatively ask if you might possibly have a jug of water and they fix you with a withering stare before huffing off toward the kitchen. You can’t help but wonder if they might spit in your water and wipe your pizza around the floor before they gave it to you. Would you leave this person a tip? If you did it would only be because you are so very English. I bet you wouldn’t return to that restaurant though and it is more than likely you wouldn’t recommend it to your friends.

Anyway, I digress, what I was trying to say was; make sure the public face of your business is friendly and helpful. A business of any sort will function better if it emulates good feeling. Be sure to value the customer relationship; if your clients’ are happy and well looked after, you can guarantee a recommendation. A common mistake made by companies, particularly in the service industries is to go all out on marketing to new customers and forget about the existing ones. After all it is easier to sell to someone who has already bought into your brand; they don’t need any more convincing!

The power of “Word of mouth” should not be underestimated or overlooked either when looking at strategies for marketing a company. I shall not forget the effect on people serving me in restaurants, when allowing them a little glimpse of my press pass (back in the day) when opening my wallet. The dawning realization of what I might mention in my review spreads across their faces. They rally round in a flurry of attentiveness, but the damage is done.

So remember, it is the little things that count when you are vying for business in today’s saturated markets. A simple smile might be the reason a client chooses you over your miserable competitor!

Toni

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According to a BBC news report today, online sales have rocketed! They rose to £4.2bn in July, up from £2.34bn in the same month a year ago. This is probably partly due to the terrible weather we have been having; people just don’t want to struggle round the shops in their wellies. But it can also be attributed to better ecommerce website design.

Online shoppers now expect the very best from the retailers’ websites. You only have a very limited time to grab their attention and hold it till the ordering process is complete. If you are an ecommerce business and you are not getting the results you had hoped for, have a think about the following points. They will help you to reduce your bounce rates and boost your sales:

1. If potential customers can’t find the product they are looking for quickly they will move on and probably not return to your website again. Have clear, simple navigation to guide them through your products. Use quality product photography so they can see what they are ordering.

2. If you market your website using a PPC (pay per click) campaign remember to point the customers straight to the product or service they are looking for. Design a specific landing page which correlates to the consumers search term. Otherwise the customer is forced to dig and search again for the very thing they thought they had just found – very frustrating!

3. Online consumers will also become very frustrated if the ordering process is very complex or slow. Keep it simple; use an easy and secure payment method. Don’t give them a thousand boxes to fill in before they complete the order or they will get bored.

4. Make it easy for your customer to find related products this will boost your sales. Let me give you an example – last week I ordered a ‘Hetty’ vacuum cleaner online. After I had added it to my shopping basket, I then thought I should probably buy some of the bags to go with it…try as I might, I couldn’t find them. Whatever I did, I was taken to a page which had all the vacuum bags listed in weird product codes that made no sense to me at all. I gave up and they missed out on a sale. (I am very pleased with my pink Hetty though!)

5. Remember too, that you will be competing with numerous other companies selling the same products as you. It is not enough to simply compete on price and you may find it hard to undercut a larger business anyway. Make sure your website looks attractive and enticing to ensure they pick you out from the crowd. Be sure to research your target market and know what will appeal to them. Use images and language that are directed specifically at them.

If you need help or advice about your existing ecommerce website or you are interested in setting one up, then give us a call at Deckchair, professional web designers in Bristol. We provide full ecommerce services including design, development,  marketing and analysis. We have a lot of experience in this area and would be delighted to talk to you. 0117 9299150

Toni

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Generally in life I think it can be safely said that ‘You get what you pay for’. This of course applies to website design too. We recently had a company director from the local area approach us needing a website. After an initial conversation with him about his business and his requirements it became clear that he needed a website that he could easily maintain and update himself. A content management system would enable him to do just that; through a secure admin area, he would be able to upload images of his products, change the details, prices, content and look of the website whenever he wanted to.

We spent a bit of time writing a detailed outline for the project with a full design brief and detailed itemized quote. The outline included every aspect of the web design including ideas for the content, navigation, strategies for search engine optimisation and of course, the bespoke content management system.

He was thrilled with the proposal and said he would call the next day to get us started on the project. The next day he did call, but he said that he didn’t want us to design his website anymore because he had found another company who could build him a website for a fraction of the cost.

This was a definite case of someone who didn’t understand about the technicalities of building a website and the importance of getting each factor absolutely right.  The company that he spoke of are very good at churning out cheap websites which all look very similar (and awful if I may say so) due to the fact that they are built from templates. There is little thought or consideration for the user, seo (Search engine optimisation), the market sector or the target audience. He had been completely swayed on price and how much ‘he could save’.

When are people like this going to realize the value of their website? A website is a living, breathing advertisement/brochure for your business; it is accessible by millions of potential customers through the World Wide Web, it is probably your most valuable marketing tool. Surely it makes sense to get it designed by an experienced, professional web design company who will ensure that you are presenting the right image of your business and actually reaching your target audience.

So what had this gentleman actually ‘saved’, well he may have saved a bit of money in the short term, but really it is a false economy and I guarantee he will have lost out to his competitors in the long term. He was not going to get a content management system or an original web design; as I said in the beginning: ‘You get what you pay for!’

At Deckchair we build all of our websites around the needs of our clients. We design them from the ground up with the search engines in mind and we don’t use templates. The result is a bespoke and original web design with clear, easy navigation that holds the attention of the user and can be found easily on the search engines. We will advise you on the best design and web marketing strategies for your company. We will ensure that you get quality traffic and you stay ahead of your competitors.

Toni

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A few months ago, our creative team of graphic designers at Deckchair designed and produced a high impact billboard and bus campaign for the Environment Agency. It was designed to tackle the fly tipping problem (illegal waste dumping) in the Bristol area. When the Environment Agency approached us with the project we were very pleased to be involved with something ‘green’ and also something that would have a positive effect on our local area, Bristol.

 We quickly came up with a few concept ideas for the campaign; we needed the billboard to be high impact with a clear message to really make people think about where their rubbish goes. The reality of the situation is that a lot of the illegal carriers dump dangerous rubbish, chemicals and white goods in hotspots in the south of the city. Most of these locations are in the back lanes of residential areas where young children play and could easily be harmed.

We all agreed that this was a strong directive and we could produce a hard hitting image to convey this message using our extensive experience with professional photography. We chose a location for the shoot and set the scene for the picture. Florence, our young model was an absolute star as the shoot took most of the day and hundreds of frames to get the shot we wanted.

The result is a visually stunning and hard hitting photograph that conveyed the message perfectly and fulfilled the client’s design brief.

The campaign has recently been honored at the National Environment Agency Communications Awards 2007 through Clare Rogers (project manager) with an award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’, and was short listed from over 100 entries. We are absolutely thrilled with this great result for our client; it is fabulous when great design is commended and appreciated.

Clare Rogers, Campaign Manager, Environment Agency said:

“Faced with the challenge of communicating a message to a hard-to-reach audience, we needed considerable creative input and some fresh ideas, stepping right away from our traditional corporate style. Deckchair gave us a range of great concepts to test on our audience, then delivered the complete package, based on our market research.
It’s rare to find a company so responsive to what you are trying to achieve. The results are stunning and our design has won a communications award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’.”

The photograph has also been short listed in a photographic competition run by The AOP (Association of Photographers). There will be an exhibition of these images at the AOP Gallery in London starting 22nd August 2007. You can vote for our photograph here (if you feel moved to do so!)

Toni

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