Ever wonder why designers throw words around like "balance" and "white space" or "flow?" Mostly, we just like to drive clients crazy. Not.

HOW TO TALK SO YOUR DESIGNER WILL LISTEN

Everything you see has been "designed," from the Starbucks to-go cup you're holding to the browser frame around your email to the books in your reference library to the stack of business cards you should be following up with instead of reading this newsletter. What makes the difference between ho-hum, never-to-be-noticed clutter and effective design that stands out, is remembered and rewarded by brand loyalty? It's a complicated picture, but a lot of that success boils down to one word: respect.

Clients must understand that for designers to do their best they need an atmosphere where there is a willing suspension of judgment and an openness to experience the new and unknown. People who are dominant left-brain thinkers (the typical client) may create an atmosphere of tight control and unnecessary pressure, constraining the creative process. Their anxiety or doubt, due to worry about how this new design will represent or impact their business, can limit the project's overall effectiveness.

Likewise, to clients, right-brain dominant designers may seem to place too much importance on "thinking outside the box." Their passion, rather than the need defined by the client, can be misinterpreted as the driving force for the project. They might appear elite and unapproachable, and their language about the principles of design, foreign.

How do you merge these two naturally conflicting approaches? Communication, pure and simple. Combined with respect for both sides' expertise, values and goals.

Prepare Yourself

One effective communications tool is the design brief, with who-what-when-where-why-how questions structured to ensure the project's success. Once the survey framework is complete, it helps to share a visual discussion, with the client and/or agency presenting samples of "good" and "bad" approaches, and refining what "innovative" (insert your adjective here) really means to you. In short, make sure you're on the same page before you finish the first half of the book.

Here's to making the world a better place through great design and communication!

-Sourced from "Graphically Speaking" by Lisa Buchanan

Interactive Elements

Interactive elements are not necessarily the property or creation of studio66. They are interesting pieces of interactive design we have found on the web and thought you might enjoy.

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