The Sausage Factory
To what extent does the Client need to know what goes on behind the scenes?
In today's age of design transparency, where designers are increasingly embedded within organizations, clients often end up knowing everything. This, I think, is a good thing, since a big part of my work philosophy is that "the best ideas come from collaboration". As mum always said, four eyes are better than two, and it follows that two brains are better than a solo designer working à-distance.
But what about when the Client asks for something seemingly innocuous that is actually pretty complex? Do you make assumptions for them and run the risk of delivering something they weren't expecting, or do you involve them in the problem's complexity and get a better result at the risk of being annoying?
A friend of mine at a big foundation once put it this way: "They don't need to see how you make your sausage."
Many have weighed in on the topic, and the jury is still out. Any thoughts?
The Sausage Factory
To what extent does the Client need to know what goes on behind the scenes?
In today's age of design transparency, where designers are increasingly embedded within organizations, clients often end up knowing everything. This, I think, is a good thing, since a big part of my work philosophy is that "the best ideas come from collaboration". As mum always said, four eyes are better than two, and it follows that two brains are better than a solo designer working à-distance.
But what about when the Client asks for something seemingly innocuous that is actually pretty complex? Do you make assumptions for them and run the risk of delivering something they weren't expecting, or do you involve them in the problem's complexity and get a better result at the risk of being annoying?
A friend of mine at a big foundation once put it this way: "They don't need to see how you make your sausage."
Many have weighed in on the topic, and the jury is still out. Any thoughts?