Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Dear Mary,

As a non-designer going into the lion's den of graphics, you'll
meet opposition if you try to order people around. This I can pretty much guarantee. You probably don't need to attend a course as such, but you will need a thick skin, an iron will, and the ability to understand and be understood.

The videos on the link below might help.

https://learning.graphics.com/eLearning/Door/37740/?node_id=2648

But the thing to consider is this: you're not telling people what to do, you're planning smoother operation. Your role then ought NOT to be as creative director. If you take on this role, or if it's given to you with no background, you'll meet even more resistance.

Your best bet might be to speak with the senior designer or designers and get his or her take on things. Get this person (or these people) on your side. Tell them it's not your intention to tell them what to do, just to manage the work flow TO KEEP PEOPLE IN JOBS.

That ought to focus their attention. Tell them you're not there to keep score. Tell them you're there to make sure what needs to get done gets done when it's meant to be done.

When it comes to ideas, don't make the mistake of giving designers mock ups or layouts UNLESS THEY ASK FOR THEM. By all means offer a clear brief, but don't try to come across as the CD. As project manager, that's not your role. Offer opinion and input, but try not to give orders or issue demands.

And ideally, all communication in and out of the graphics department ought to got through you, or ought to be overseen by you. This way, you don't have five people telling one or two designers what to do, what changes to make, and what typefaces to use. Few things tick graphic designers off more than some clueless nit wit telling them to change a typeface's design "I want this twiddly bit here to go over there", or to make the logo bigger (sigh) when it's not necessary.

Let the graphics people be graphic and let clients ask for amendments WITHIN REASON, but don't give clients free access to your crew because it will come back on you. Protect your people, nurture them, reward them with entering and encouraging them to enter work in awards shows. Tell them you're proud of them.

Graphic designers are often looked on as lackeys, mac monkeys, and as being somehow below the level of junior art director intern. It's NOT their job just to push a mouse around, they're trained and highly skilled creatives. Treat them with respect, nurture their talent, pull great solutions out of them by challenging them and by offering them respect and they'll pay you back in kind.

But walk all over them and they'll make sure you know it.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer,
Wilmington, DE, USA

I've found the best way to get great work out of the creative department is to remove subjective preference from the evaluation process, and to provide tight creative briefs for every assignment. Gary is right that creative people often feel like everyone treats them like lackeys. So if you treat them as professionals -- equals to the clients -- they will respect you and deliver for you.

And by insisting on creative briefs, you'll train the clients to think through what they want BEFORE your designers spin their wheels, and you can then ask the clients to confine their comments to how well the work meets the criteria laid out in the creative brief.

If you do this you'll have the designers eating out of your hand and walking through walls to deliver for you.