I leave it in your capable hands

photo credit: Feliciano Guimarães

I leave it in your capable hands

12th Nov 2009

Reading this letter to Andy Warhol from Mick Jagger, it sounds like the perfect brief: “do what ever you want...........and please write back saying how much money you would like.” But then who’d want to tell Andy Warhol what to do.

Designers dream of a brief like this, after all, what do the clients really know, they just trash your work right? Well, that’s not true, but this thinking is rife. Unfortunately, some designers think they’re artists, they’re not, and this misconception can create friction in the designer/client relationship. Good designers know their place, they’re realistic, open-minded, and appreciate that if they’re too precious then they’re going to let people down. Commercial Graphic Design is part of a mechanism for selling and it’s up to the designer to find their own space for art inside of that.

At Creation we’ve always likened the relationship between designer and client to a bridge, we build it, and then it’s our job to coerce our client as far over it towards our side as possible. Sometimes we’ll meet them in the middle, sometimes we’ll even take a trip right over to them, but we’ll always make sure there’s a happy union at the end of it.

So the truth is; some people can do what they like because they’re Andy Warhol, designers however, are special creative tools in a bigger commercial process, and the reason Jagger’s brief was so vague was because he's never had an original idea in his life.

Find out what Creation’s designers can do for you here.

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Published by
Ben Brown, Creative Director
ben@creationagency.com, 07764 898010
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Comments

I totally agree with this. I remember listening to two friends of mine debate this issue. One works for a large corporation in TV Production and the other is an out of work filmmaker/'artist'. The out of work 'artist' said to the Producer that he was a 'sellout', the Producer simply replyed, "I haven't sold out, I just know how to make my art work for me and my clients" I think this is a rift between a lot of creative minds.

By Laura Hicks on 11/11/2009
"Not selling-out" is often the last bastion of people who have no vision.

By Ben Brown on 11/11/2009
Often artists/designers can miss the bigger picture and get too caught up with a fantastic creative idea. Yes it may be brilliant, ground breaking and innovative but is it right? or relevant? A good designer can always take that step back, take on board constructive feedback and produce great work that the really answers the brief. Ok its not going on the cover of CR or DW but you'll have a happy client and that's one of the most important things.

By Mary on 11/11/2009
It's fair to say that good clients are the making of good designers. The relationship is the key to the whole thing, there has to be some trust there in the beginning.

By Ben Brown on 11/11/2009