I went to a talk the other morning called Designer Breakfasts. The talk was by John McConnell (formerly of Pentagram) and was excellent.
He has recently retired as a partner from Pentagram but he's still involved with Boots and John Lewis. He's more client side these days managing the design roster. He was billed as the client's advocate and talked about client relationships and how to get the best out of them.
He was eloquent, charming and had that wonderful way of telling a story that comes with the wisdom of experience. He said loads of interesting things that would be worth a few minutes of anyone's time and I've tried to highlight the best ones below.
1. It's not the client's fault, it's yours.
This was the main thread of his talk really, that you should examine your own behaviour before slagging off the client. It's too easy to blame the client when it's probably your fault. How many times have you been guilty of not explaining something, or not asking more questions, or not clarifying things at the start or not saying no more often?2. If you can't find a solution, you haven't found the problem.
I like this one. Every problem has a solution, but you'll only see the solution if you know (clearly and correctly) what the problem is in the first place.3. Try to avoid the grey bit in the middle.
Most of the problems occur when you're dealing with middle management. He prefers to great straight to the top, the board if possible. Hmmmm, easy enough when you're a Pentagram partner and 60+. Not so easy when you're everyone else.4. Be honest, always.
We all know this - we just don't do it. If you've just listened to 45 minutes of jargon, pause, and then say 'I'm sorry I didn't understand a word of that'. He reckons they will probably agree with you and be relieved you've had the balls to speak up. Try it.5. The client doesn't see your great design.
Very true this one. When looking at your beautiful concept, the client is thinking, 'will my boss like that?' 'will that get me promoted?' 'did the boss say something about not liking green?' 'didn't the last guy get fired for taking a risk?' etc etc. Bear it in mind when presenting.6. Say why you did something.
I don't do this enough, but I'm going to start now. When you present your concept explain why you've made decisions. You have made lots of decisions that the client can't see, so tell them. This brochure is A5 because... it's green because... we've used this font because... we've not made your logo bigger because... we've not used that awful illustration you gave us because... Sell your ideas. Back them up. You have made considered decisions for a reason so share that with the client.
Lastly, I really don't want to complain, because this is a good idea organsied by people in their own time for the benefit of everyone, but I've got a few little gripes. The format was terrible. Badly chaired and full of people with this dated 'them and us' attitude to clients that I loathe. It all felt a bit old fashioned. Almost all the people there worked for consultancies with less than 5 staff. Maybe it's a result of that? I don't know.
I probably won't go again, but don't let that put you off they are worth checking out. You can find out more details here.
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