Words to the Wise

As part of my new and improved website that will be online in the coming weeks, I’m adding more “Partner Services” to my existing line of copywrting, SEO and web content development services.

Part of my partner services involves graphic design. I’ve worked with many in my time, and have built a good relationship with a few whom I would call my best-of-the-best. One of the best is Shannon Brenek a designer out of New London, Connecticut working under her brand: Grey Dog Design. She’s worked at some top-notch agencies, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shannon during our full-time days and as freelancers.

I took a few minutes recently to talk to Shannon a bout her services and life as a designer.

Jason Pedley: You’ve worked with clients of many shapes and sizes. How do you get to heart of what they want in terms of design, regardless of how much corporate red tape you run into?

Shannon Brenek: Well, there’s a big difference answering this question, depending on whether I’m working as a freelancer, or working for an agency. Since an agency has account people who figure this out for the designer, I’ll answer this as a freelancer! I’ve found as a freelancer, that the key to finding out if your clients even know what they want is to ask a lot of questions. I’ve discovered, that lots of times, the client really has a very basic idea of what they want and it’s my job to try to read them to find out what OPTIONS they want. Then I can move forward. It’s all about options, I think. Rarely do you hit the nail on the head the first time.

JP: Recently, you were named executive director of the Connecticut Art Directors Club (CADC). How does being involved in a club like that help you with your clients and your design skills?

SB: Well, again, as a freelancer, it’s a tremendous opportunity to be part of a community in which I can share ideas and see what other people are working on. Especially since I work solo. I’m a big believer in research and inspiration before I begin a project. And by that, I mean that I need to look at the world, magazines, the internet, other design work, to get inspired for a project.

My students at Mitchell College often get frustrated that they get a project and sit directly in front of the computer and try to get started with a blank page. For me, that doesn’t happen. And I try to explain to them, that you need to build from inspiration. So meeting with other designers is a great place to get inspired, for agency designers as well as freelancers. I might see something that someone else has done and file it away as an idea for a future project.

JP: “Can we make the logo bigger?” “Can we use a black background with white type?” How do you explain to clients the dangers or pitfalls of them having too much control while you work on their projects?

SB: The client always wants control. Always. In the end it is them that you are promoting, so of course they want to have a hand in that. Understandably.

If the client REALLY insists on something that I know will look horrible, I try to steer them in a different direction through the design, I try to show them something that they want and then something that I feel is more appropriate. Some you get to put in your portfolio, and some you don’t.

Lessons from Part I with Shannon:

• Rarely do you hit the nail on the head the first time with a client project.
• Inspiration is the cure for a blank screen. Find where your inspiration hides.
• “Some projects you get to put in your portfolio, and some you don’t.”
• If your client wants you to design something that might not be the most appropriate, compare it side-by-side to something more appropriate.

You can catch part two of my interview with Shannon in an upcoming post.

Creative briefs can be long and intricate, and they often take up precious time that could be spent actually creating something. However, there is a place in this world for the creative brief as it does help agencies (and freelancers like myself) better understand the task(s) at hand.

The creative brief typically involves questions. Lots and lots of questions. Now, I don’t always use a creative brief. If I believe that a client and I are on the same page about the scope and goals of the project, then I forge ahead. But when I think a creative brief will clear up some questions and help both me and the client better understand objectives, these are some of the questions I ask:

1. Who are we trying to reach? If you’re a real estate agent, are you trying to reach people selling their homes? Or are you trying to reach people in the Raleigh, NC area who are selling a home worth between $300,000 and $900,000 and has been on the market over 120 days?

2. What’s your objective? Is your objective to simply reach them? Or is your objective to send them to a special landing page on your website that gives them a unique offer and information that is tailored to their situation?

3. What are the obstacles? Does your audience have a belief that precludes them from thinking your product or service is for them? Are you one of a dozen companies sending similar offers?

4. What’s in it for your prospect? Will you solve a problem? Will you save them money? Will you MAKE them money? Will you save them from embarassment?

5. What feeling or personality will your communication take on? Will you be the voice of authority? Will you speak to your prospects’ emotions? Will you be out-and-out human?

6. Is the timing right? Some messages are more effective at certain times of the year. Do your prospects need your service right now? If you send them a message now, will they forget about you when they truly do need you? Can your message be used in more than one medium? For example - can you turn your blog posts into articles that can be distributed via the Internet?

7. How does this project fit in with your overall brand? Will this be one piece of the marketing mix? Are there other agencies working on other parts? For example, if I’m writing web copy, I like to be in touch with the web designer to see how my copy will be laid out in the page.

8. Are there any creative mandatrories? Is there a phrase or paragraph that must be used? An image? A logo?

This is just the start. Often, these questions lead to more answers. Fortunately for me, more questions lead to more answers and a better product in the end.