Have you Been BoDo’d?

Welcome to our first Been BoDo’d. So, what’s this ‘Been BoDo’d? In a nutshell, it’s where we select a noted veteran or up-and-coming designer to share thoughts, insights and experiences about the business side of design. You can see more of an explanation in our sidebar under Being BoDo’d.

For our first You’ve Been BoDo’d, we went in search of someone experienced in design, business and more. With Andy Budd (popular author, blogger, web guy), we got the ‘and more’.

A bit about Andy

Andy Budd is the Creative Director at Clearleft, a noted team of web design and interaction consultants. He’s also an internationally known user experience designer, web standards expert, frequent speaker at major design conferences and beer drinker extraordinaire.

Tapping into Andy’s design experience and knowledge, he is often requested to judge various web design awards. He also sits on the advisory board for .Net magazine, the UK’s leading web development periodical.

Andy is also the author of CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions, where he shares his years of experience in creating attractive, standards compliant websites. I have a copy, and even though my CSS skill are cacca (not the books fault as I cheat by yelling for Jay), as a fan of CSS Mastery, I highly recommend it for your CSS library.

I’m also a long time fan of Blogography, Andy’s blog. Years before I knew anything about blogs, Blogography was one of the first I kept going back to. And still do.

A bit about the Designers Working With Series

Last month we started the Designers Working With Series (DWW) to get real people advice about running a design company. Starting with designers, the DWW series focuses on how designers work, and how other professionals (writers, photographers, marketeers, printers and pre press specialists, etc) work with designers.

Andy participated in the first round, the designers round. It’s where we asked seven questions with a design industry bend. Below are Andy’s answers, all in a row.

As a professional designer, what are the main points that you’d expect / want clients to know before contacting you about a project?

Ideally the client will have done some preparatory work and have a rough idea of the project goals, budget and the type of design services they are looking for. However as a professional consultancy, it is our job to guide clients through the process no matter how prepared or experienced they are.

When working with clients, what do you see as the top problem areas?

The two main client issues I see occurring on a regular basis are unrealistic or inflated expectations, and the tendency to offer solutions rather than outline problems.

The majority of clients have little or no experience in building a website which is why they come to design professionals for help. There is a popular misconception that web design is easy, and this is something that has been propagated by tools manufacturers and educators over the years. Because of this, many clients have unrealistic expectations when it comes to budget, timeframe and features.

As web professionals, it is our job to manage our clients’ expectations and make sure they understand exactly what they will be getting as a result of the design process. Unfortunately in the rush to sell services and win pitches, agencies often over promise and under deliver. This may win clients in the short term, but in the long term they will be left feeling short changed. I think it is much wiser to under promise and over deliver. That way clients will always be delighted with the work you produce.

Good communication at the start of the project is vital as it allows you to manage client expectations. It is also an opportunity to set some ground rules and explain to clients exactly how the design process will work.

Design is all about creative problem solving. In an ideal world your clients will define the problems they are facing, and then you will come up with the best solution to solve those problems. However people are naturally helpful and clients really enjoy getting involved with design projects. As such, rather than coming to you with a problem to fix, clients will often come to you with one of several possible solutions and ask you to implement them. Examples of this could be anything from a client suggesting that a button needs to be made bigger, through to recommending functionality like a blog or a forum. In these situations, it is important to understand that the client recommendation is just one possible solution to a much deeper problem, and it is your job to examine what that problem is, look at all of the available solutions, and then suggest the best one for the job.

To avoid these situations, it is important to explain the design process up front and make sure your client is explaining what the problems are rather than simply offering one of several solutions. That way your client will get the most out of your design knowledge and the project has a much higher chance of success.

How do you work?

At Clearleft we employ a relatively flexible process that can be scaled up or down depending on the needs of the project. This flexibility is vital as every client and every project is different, so what works for one may not necessarily work for another.

Where time and budget allow we like to start our projects with some initial stakeholder research. This could be anything from a few quick user interviews through to a more structured program of contextual inquiry. This information is then used to create a series of personas, scenarios and user tasks that guide the rest of the process. If we were dealing with an existing site we would normally perform a content inventory, whereas with a new site we ‘would run a competitive analysis so see what the marketplace was doing.

Using this information we would normally arrange a series of planning workshops with the key project stakeholders. We would use these workshops to uncover the required site functionality and content, and then create a content plan, features list and site map. Once the client approves the proposed functionality, we create a series of wireframes that are tested on real users. Once everybody is happy with the overall user experience, the user interface is designed and page templates are developed. These are then integrated into the back-end system, tested and deployed.

We don’t have dedicated project managers so each team member is responsible for their own part of the project. This means that our clients have direct access to the people working on their projects and requirements don’t get lost in translation. We use Basecamp to manage our written communications and make liberal use of Skype and IM throughout the process. We like to build relationships with our clients so face-to-face meetings are good. However with around half of our clients coming from overseas, it’s not always possible or practical. An average project will take around 4 months and we usually have several on at any one time. We are in fairly high demand at the moment as there aren’t many agencies offering the range or depth of service that we do. As such, we usually need a couple of months notice before scheduling new projects.

How should a company or individual in your profession be chosen?

If you are looking to commission a design partner, you should spend a reasonable amount of time researching possible candidates. Look at the problems you are trying to solve and the skills you require, and then try to find a good match. For instance, if your main concern is branding, then you probably need to find an agency that specializes in visual design, whereas if you have a lot of information you need organizing, you’ll want an agency that that focuses on information architecture. If you are building a content oriented site, your partners will need a good understanding of content management. However if you are building a web application, interaction design and user experience will be key.

With so many agencies out there specializing in different ways, it often makes sense to commission different companies for different parts of the project. So you may want to hire a design and interaction specialist to design the user experience, and then a development company to program the application.

The best way to select an agency is to ask for recommendations from your colleagues or other web developers. If somebody you know has worked with an agency before or has heard good things about them, they are already pre-qualified. Look at sites in a similar field to yours. If any are particularly good, find out who designed them and add them to your list of possible partners. I also recommend looking at design galleries and noting any sites that are a similar size, quality and style to the one you are trying to produce. Create a shortlist of 3-5 agencies, send them a detailed brief and then base your decision on the result. Remember that you’ll have to work with this agency for several months, so choose a company that’s a good fit and you get on with.

At what point should your profession be brought into a project?

The sooner you can get a professional consultancy involved the better. A good way to start is to commission an initial discovery phase. This gives the designer an opportunity to learn about your company and the problems you’re facing, and come up with some initial recommendations. It also gives the client an opportunity to work with the designer on a smaller project to see how they get on. If both parties are happy with the outcome, you can then move forward with the main project confident that it will be a success.

How do you charge?

Like most professional services, we charge based on the time spent on a project. We will estimate how long each stage of the project will take in order to calculate the headline figure. We’ve been doing this for a while now, so our estimates are generally very accurate. However all projects are different and have their own unique set of influences. As such we always recommend building in a refundable contingency to cover unexpected expenses or additional functionality.

As the project progresses, we’ll track how much time we spend on the various components and keep our clients up to date with how the budget is being allocated. For fixed cost projects we will normally break functionality down into core, desired and deferred components. We promise to deliver all of the core functionality and as much of the desired functionality as the remaining time will allow. This lets clients to see exactly where their budget is being spent and allows them to make much better financial decisions.

How can a designer improve their skills?

You can continuously improve your skills by reading books, going to conferences and learning from your peers. Every project you take on should be an opportunity to face new challenges and learn new skills. If you are not getting this challenge at work, I highly recommend taking on a personal project to stretch your creative muscles.

Andy Budd | Managing Director | Web Designer | Author
Andy Budd::Blogography | CSS Mastery

Thanks Andy!

until the next
You’ve Been BoDo’d
cat

The dictionary defines “design” as a plan to make something … a process. Without a workable process in place, one that’s sound and repeatable, things can erode into happenstance and you lose control. Not good.

Many designers tend to approach their process only from the design point-of-view - sketch out some roughs, whip up a comp, do the production and “bill ‘em, Danno”. They may have even been taught this method in school. But, truth be told, it’s a bit myopic. The business part is being separated from the design part, when, in reality, they’re both part of the project. Also in that mix is how you work with other professionals.

Having a workable, documented process in place can also go a long way toward weeding out those pesky prospects looking for a logo for a buck and a quarter or a two bit website.

So, where do you start to hammer out a process that will work for you, keep your clients pleased as punch and insure smooth workflow with your team? Begin by putting on your thinking cap and start to map out each step during the course of a typical project. Consider some gigs that went smooth as silk … and the ones that went South. What went right and what went wrong?

Since designers tend to think in visuals, a flowchart might be a good idea. For others an outline will do the trick. Either way, what you’ll end up with is a system for you and a process that you can easily communicate to your clients and associates.

Begin by thinking about what happens when a prospect calls. What are the next steps? Break things down into smaller nuggets such as:

1. Arrange initial meeting to gather information about the company’s background, project scope and goals, audience, competition, available resources, budget and schedule. Also discuss how you will communicate (in person meetings, phone, email, IM, etc.)
2. Conduct preliminary competitive and audience research for the proposal
3. Prepare and submit requests for quote from project associates (photographers, writers, printers, etc.)
4. Prepare proposal and agreement
5. Arrange proposal presentation meeting

Okay, so you’re over the first hurdle. But, this has all been preparation work and is often chalked up to cost of sales. You need to make the big push at the proposal presentation meeting. This is where you’ll demonstrate your strategy, your plans to make the gig a success and get the client to sign on the dotted line.

Well, gee, this all sounds pretty designy. Where’s the business part? Glad you asked. Also within your process is your methodology for developing your proposal and a consistent manner of presenting your terms of agreement. Much of this will be a one time deal that’s implemented the same way over and over as the projects come rolling in. When a prospect tempts you with a juicy gig and wants to put off the agreement, your process helps to insure you stick to your guns.

Creating a winning proposal can be wrought with angst for those new to being in business. But, going into detail about drafting proposals is a bit out of the scope of this article. For the skinny on how to do it right, check out our e-book, “Winning Web Proposals,” by veteran pro, Nigel Gordijk. Another resource (by yours truly) is “Crafting the perfect proposal,” available on our sister site, Creative Latitude.

As for your terms of agreement, odds are you’ll want to get with your attorney when you’re starting out and have them draft up a contract that works for your practice’s personality. Check the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines and Shel Perkins “Talent Is Not Enough” for references about agreements and practices. Odds are, you’ll want your attorney to do some customizing to make a contract that’s just right for you.

Now that you have your project documents and the client’s signing off on them, you’ll want to get some up-front money. For some folks it’s 50%. For others, it’s one-third. It’s your choice what to request, but it’s important to get some money at the onset. If a client’s not willing to drop some dough in the beginning, odds are, they won’t at the end, either. Or, they may give you headaches. No money. No start. Getting that money is an important part of your process.

Next you’ll want to address your project partners. What will be your working arrangement? Will you pay them a deposit? Or, maybe it’ll be Net 30 days when the work is done. How will you handle communication? Consider the steps involved for getting that excellent image, perfect prose, etc. Do this for each type of supplier.

Since you’re dealing with other creatives here, odds are, they’ll have their own process. This is where the negotiation dance begins. Can you meet in the middle? If a supplier’s process is too alien to yours, you might want to consider someone else. Trust me, it will save you aggravation.

So, you’ve got a signed client agreement. You’ve banked some money and you’ve reached agreement on terms, schedule and deliverables with your associates. Now comes the design part. What will that entail? Some designers use a three part design process, others more, some less. It’s up to you and what makes sense with your manner of working. The main thing is that it’s consistent and can be reproduced again and again. Here’s a typical process:

Phase One

1. Additional competitive and audience research, as needed. Design style research to include historical design styles, typography, stock image research, if needed, etc.
2. Preliminary design. Sketches and/or roughs to explore possible design solutions
3. Edit preliminaries to those you will present
4. Mount designs or create pdfs, jpegs or other method of presentation
5. Draft status report(s) as needed
6. Arrange presentation meeting, phone call or other agreed upon method of communication
7. Presentation meeting (in-person or by other method)
8. Obtain client approval in writing for selected design direction or change order, if needed, documenting change(s), schedule and budget impact, along with client sign-off
9. Make changes, if needed
10. Second presentation, if needed, and appropriate documentation

Phase Two

1. Design refinements, as needed
2. Create comprehensive (comp) layouts (layouts as close to the finished piece as possible within budget constraints). Comps may or may not include final images and copy, depending upon the schedule of deliverables
3. Proofreading
4. Repeat steps 5 -10 shown in Phase One

Phase Three

1. Production - create final press ready files, HTML files, etc., swop F.P.O. (For position only images with final images and/or low resolution with high resolution, replace F.P.O. text with final copy, etc.)
2. Proofreading. Corrections as needed. Cross platform and browser testing for web work
3. Supplier/Fabricator meeting to review material. Make any needed adjustments to files
4. Arrange presentation meeting
5. Final client review. Change Order, if needed
6. Final revisions/corrections, if needed
7. Final client sign-off
8. Deliver files to printer/fabricator/server
9. Press check/Fabrication check as needed
10. Final delivery to client
11. Final project billing

Some steps may be slightly different along the way, depending upon the way you work and the type of project, but this is the general idea.

Test and tweak until you have a rock solid process. Once you do, communicate it to your prospects, clients and associates. Many designers either create a hand-out or put their process on their website. The latter is an especially good idea as it can help weed out headache prospects. If they see you require a one-third or 50% deposit and they don’t want to pay, they’ll usually walk … without you ever having top deal with them, taking time away from the billable stuff.

Having your process in written form, including mentioning that you prepare formal proposals, require a written agreement and deposit can go a long way toward demonstrating your professionalism and business savvy. Your clients and associates will give you more respect and you’ll find yourself reaching for the antacids less often.

until the next
Designers WW,
nt

Client management – Sometimes it’s the hardest part of my job. Clients wait to give copy and approval. Up until then they are into other projects. Crazy stuff.

Does it seem like you are more concerned about a project than your client is? Do you often deal with ambiguity? Who’s in charge? Do your clients have any idea of how they will work with your firm?

If you’ve been hired, then it’s a BDO*: you’re in charge. (At least you’re supposed to be.)

There are two mantras you should recite every morning before starting your day:

1. I will manage my client’s expectations
2. I will lead my clients

Managing a client’s expectations starts with a great relationship, where they value your input and respect your recommendations. Understanding the relationship informs how you will lead. These are mantras that declare your intent to focus on their needs and expectations in a proactive manner, and make the experience of working with your firm easy.

I will manage my client’s expectations

Too often, we can’t lead our clients because we haven’t:

• Understood how the client wants to work with us
• Defined our expectations (to the client) of the collaborative relationship

To manage your client’s expectations, you need to make clear your policies and procedures. Do you expect timely approvals? Put it in your contract, and make it clear to them. Do you provide weekly status reports? If so, are they aware that you do? Should they call you for every little edit? If not, whom do they call? If a client doesn’t understand how your firm works, then you will constantly be responding to their requests, instead of proactively anticipating their needs.

It’s two-sided: The client has needs and expectations, the design firm has (or should have) workflow procedures. Your procedures will have anticipated their expectations, and the client will make it clear if those will work for them. Of course it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but it all starts with the relationship that your firm has built with the client.

I will lead my clients

Do you wait for the client to call or send copy, or is your firm proactive in monitoring the project schedule? It’s easier to wait for the “trigger,” the email from the client that indicates you need to drop what you’re doing and fight that fire. Do you wait for input from your client, or do you take the lead role in the collaborative relationship?

Anticipating deadlines, respecting timelines and awareness of your client’s needs will allow you to manage your time and lead your clients. This thinking can be applied to everything from business development to project management. It allows you to control the relationship and the workflow, rather than letting it control you. It allows you to lead your clients, and guide them – not let them pull you along.

My recommendation? Develop your leadership skills. Your clients will notice. The rest will follow.

*Blatant Display of the Obvious

By Brian Sooy
© 2007 Brian Sooy

A Clients Guide, wishful thinking? Perhaps. But, perhaps a consideration.

In 2005 I researched design orgs for Proscodi, and pretty much bored everyone around me to tears with the information I found.

(When you’ve been around BoDo for awhile, you’ll find that research is one thing I do. A lot. Sometimes fruitful, sometimes not. And I imagine boring comes into it too. A lot).

BoDo author Alina Hagen of Alina’s In-sights (with her usual clear insight), asked:

If designers need a code, then what about our clients? Shouldn’t they have a code for working with designers?

Alina took the initiative and created a discussion on the about.com design forum. While she was occupied, I posted elsewhere to request additional help. Designers from various forums added to the list. The list grew. And grew. When it became a decent size, I pulled it together into ‘official speak’ using the Icograda code. But it didn’t polish up until Thomas (Tom) Stephan, now of BoDo’s Dyer Straits, (bless him) took my efforts and created what you see below, a readable Client’s Guild to Professional Conduct in the Design Industry. After it was refined, we posted it back on the forums, some of who pegged it.

(A special thanks goes to all who helped put together the pieces. The list is too extensive, but you know who you are).

So I give you, the …

Clients Guide to Professional Conduct in the Design Industry

Definition

“Client” means an individual or company purchasing skills and talents from an individual or company practicing in design industry

Professional Conduct

We expect our clients to follow the professional obligations of their own community and the business community as a whole. This includes all legal obligations of the city, state or nation under which they operate. Designers have the right to refuse to do service with a business which they feel is not adhering to these obligations.

Do not ask your designer to apply concepts, images or ideas from another source. Remember: you are trying to stand out of the crowd, not blend in. Plagiarism and concept theft is a criminal act that will damage the designer and your business, and makes it difficult for both of you to reestablish public credibility.

The Designer/Client Relationship

The digital world has vastly improved the speed of design. Proofs can be sent electronically and a great amount of design can be accomplished on computer in a much shorter amount of time than ever before. However, technology has not made the design process simpler. Designers still need time to work with your company to decide the best way to represent it to the consumer. Deadlines and project scope must be realistic and flexible enough to deal with the unexpected. Remember that you are buying a public face to your business, and value it accordingly.

When you hire a designer, make sure that you make them part of your business day. Keep in touch at a frequency acceptable to both of you, and the design process will flow smoothly in both directions. Designers, like all business contacts, appreciate returned messages, even if it is only an acknowledgment of receipt.

Spend an extra hour with your designer at the beginning to outline your needs and interests, and you will save hours of time down the road in regards to deadlines and project scope. Taking the time to deliver a sufficiently in-depth project brief ultimately serves as a cost-saving device for both parties.

A qualified designer is trained to analyze your professional needs and, with your input and guidance, craft visual expressions of your business. The client should understand that this skill goes beyond the personal aesthetic and often deals with the psychology of branding and public perception, and is as individual to your company as a fingerprint.

A designer’s suggestions and recommendations on the project are not simply what clients or designers find appealing or pleasing. Good quality design is engineered to appeal to your customer. Be fair in your criticism. Ask questions instead of making statements. If something does not work, explain your misgivings fully instead of simply. Remember that your designer is a professional collaborator and not an employee, and brings a set of skills to your company that is geared towards expanding your business.

In addition, the concepts and ideas generated together represent a contractual agreement of confidentiality/exclusivity between the designer and client. Just as the Designer will not divulge your business operations, you and your staff are obligated to do the same for our business.

Design is a business, just like yours

Designers are business owners and have set hours like any business. After hours calls may not be received until the next working day. Rush requests or overnight orders, like any business, are subject to increased or emergency fees. In return, a designer is obligated to inform you in a timely manner of any increase in cost to you.

Deadlines for materials the designer needs are not arbitrary. Designers cannot design around blank spaces where text should go, nor can they build around pictures that are not there. Any delay on the delivery of photos, text or dimensions of the project results in a slowdown of the production process. If you experience an informational gap, contact your designer immediately to explain the delay.

On a related note, make sure your copy is free of errata, both grammatical and factual, and that you images are of the quality needed by the designer. The designer should give you a list of specifications of print, media or Web materials. They are not guidelines; they are rules by which the final project must go to press.

Design Contracts/Billing

Designers’ contracts guarantee their clients the right to high quality design in a timely and efficient manner to represent to goods and services your business has to offer. Take the time to read them thoroughly. If a designer does not provide a contract dealing with the scope of the project it is your right to ask for one before you begin working together.

A good designers’ contract outlines realistic deadlines, estimates the true scope of a project and the obligations of a designer before, during and after the project timeline. If any of these areas are lacking, it is your right to ask the designer about them.

It is the designer’s duty to a client to provide a detailed list of services provided in the final remuneration. This bill will include all services provided, including, but not limited to the services outlined in the original contract. Overtime, rush fees and emergency work will be billed accordingly, as well as any additional services requested by the client. The client has the right to inquire about additional costs when requesting additional work. A client will pay on time as agreed in the contract

Requests for working on spec - You might have heard of business owners who have asked for multiple designers to submit a finished product, and paid only the designer whose work they chose to use. On the same note there are designers who state a willingness to work for free to secure a later contract. This is known as spec (speculative) work, and is one of the biggest gambles you can make with your time, money and corporate image. Clients who ask for spec work waste time and energy weeding through multiple designs, most of which do not reflect your company’s needs. Designers who work on spec are not bound by contractual obligation to deliver anything, even if you want to use their designs. In short, it’s better, safer, and more cost-effective in the long run to work with a hired designer who is able to dedicate themselves to your project than it is to delve into spec work.

Publicity

Publicity helps designers and clients build an image and gain even more work. Naturally, a designer should be allowed to present samples of their work with your company as an example of what good collaborative design can accomplish. Designers are obligated to present your company in a positive, factually correct manner, and any samples will not violate the confidentiality agreements in the design contract. A client may allow the designer to use the client’s name for the promotion of articles designed or service provided, but only in a manner which is appropriate to the status of the profession

A client who is asked to advise on the selection of designers shall accept no payment in any form from the designer recommended

Also, a client should not publicize the designers name to be associated with the realization of a design which has been so changed by the client as no longer to be substantially the original work of the designer.

So, what do you think? Is it a go? Or, not?

until the next
Designers WW,
cat