Dear Client: This Book Will Teach You How to Get What You Want from Creative PeopleIn a world where every business, brand, product, and service needs a strong visual identity, it’s critical for clients and creative professionals to work together. And the key to success, as with any relationship, is communication. In Dear Client, award-winning graphic designer Bonnie Siegler offers an invaluable step-by-step guide to how to talk so creatives will listen, and how to listen when creatives talk. Written as a series of honest, friendly lessons—“Know What You Like,” “Decide Who Will Decide,” “Focus Groups Suck,” “Don’t Say ‘Make It Yellow,’ Say ‘Make It Sunny,’” “Serve Lunch During Lunchtime Meetings”—it shows exactly how to deal with the subjectivity, emotional pitfalls, and occasional chaos of a creative partnership. Here’s how to articulate your visual goals and set a clear, consistent direction. How to give feedback that works and avoid words that inhibit creative thinking. How to be open to something you didn’t imagine. And most of all, how to have fun, save money, and get the results you want. |
Contents
Introduction | |
Disclaimer | |
No 1 The Thing About Creatives | |
No 2 Be Honest | |
No 3 Know Thyself | |
No 4 Make Me Iconic | |
No 5 Have Clarity of Purpose | |
No 6 Who Is Your Audience | |
No 35 Questions Everything | |
No 36 Be Open to Things You Didnt Imagine | |
No 37 Dont Say That Say This | |
No 38 Beware of Garanimals | |
No 39 An Important Note About Giving Feedback | |
No 40 I Notice I Wonder | |
No 41 Its Okay to Love Something Right Away | |
No 42 What to Do When You Kind of Hate What You See | |
No 7 Care About Every Audience | |
No 8 Decide Who Will Decide | |
No 9 Do Not Send Out An RFP | |
No 10 A Brief Case for Writing a Brief | |
No 11 Tell Me The Problem Not The Solution | |
No 12 Get BuyIn | |
No 13 Experience Isnt Everything | |
No 14 Those Awkward First Phone Calls | |
No 15 The Importance of Meeting In Person | |
No 16 Get a Proposal | |
No 17 Call References For Gods Sake | |
No 18 Introduce Everyone at the Meeting | |
No 19 Dont Schedule Meetings One Right After the Other So That Were Bound to Run Into Each Other in The Lobby | |
No 20 Be Up Front About Money | |
No 21 The Value of Creative Work | |
No 22 Falt Fees Full Hearts Cant Lose | |
No 23 Expect the Unexpected | |
No 24 Good Fast Cheap | |
No 25 Always sign on a Dotted Line | |
No 26 Tell The People Who Didnt Get The Job | |
No 27 Best Practices Work Best When They are Flexible | |
No 28 Dont Worry If You Dont Know Exactly What You Want | |
No 29 What If You Have a Good Idea? | |
No 30 ShowandTell | |
No 31 Cut Out the Middleman | |
No 32 White Space Is Your Friend | |
No 33 Let the Creatives Drive the First Presentation | |
No 34 Be a Fair Judge | |
No 43 So You Think You Can Make It Better? | |
No 44 What If You Dont Know What You Think? | |
No 45 Give All Feedback At Once | |
No 46 We Dont Care What Your Spouse Thinks | |
No 47 On Fear and Insecurity | |
No 48 Why Focus Groups Suck | |
No 49 Dont Let Data Drive Your Decisions | |
No 50 Be Confident Not Arrogant | |
No 51 Pick Your Battles | |
No 52 The Power of Encouragement | |
No 53 Accept That Everything is Emotional | |
No 54 Talk It Out | |
No 55 Please Dont Piss On the Creative | |
No 56 Nothing Takes a Second | |
No 57 Dont Ask to Sit with Us While We Make Changes | |
No 58 Dont Fall Off the Face of the Earth | |
No 59 If Its Just Not Working | |
No 60 When Creatives are Assholes | |
No 61 Dont Be Rude to My Staff Or Yours | |
No 62 Serve Lunch During Lunchtime Meetings | |
No 63 About Pro Bono Work | |
No 64 Give Credit Where Its Due | |
No 65 Dont Use These Words | |
No 66 Use These Words | |
Acknowledgments | |
About the Author | |
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Dear Client: This Book Will Teach You How to Get What You Want from Creative ... Bonnie Siegler No preview available - 2018 |
Common terms and phrases
A/B test ACCEPT THAT EVERYTHING Air America art directors ask questions audience better brand budget chance client once CMYK colleague color communicate consider contract conversation create creative brief creative collaboration creative process creative team decide decision maker direction discuss DUCTION EVERYTHING IS EMOTIONAL fear FEEDBACK AT ONCE feel flat fee Fortune 500 GARANIMALS GIVE ALL FEEDBACK goal Graphic Design happens Here’s hire honest hopes and dreams huge idea images Imagine important insecurities iPhone keep in mind kind KNOW THYSELF logo look means meeting never Number 17 okay OPEN TO THINGS Oprah person POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT presentation PRO BONO problem reason relationship respond Saturday Night Live schedule Seth Godin someone sometimes specific sure talking tell terrible trying typography understand we’re white space wonder words World Trade Center