Inspiring clients to take risks and stand out

Over the last several years I have done probably hundreds of web designs. Here at Optiem, we typically we do at least two different designs to present to a client. First of all, our contract usually states that this is what we will provide, but on a more practical level, it really gives the client something to compare and contrast when they are looking for a new design.

If we have done our job correctly, we already have a very strong understanding of the client's "aesthetic". So our designs are targeted to reflect that. But as designers this can sometimes leave us wanting... wanting to push the envelope more... to stretch our wings.

So recently, on those projects that have the potential, I have been trying to provide a third look. But I try to make that design something that is really out there. Something that no one else in their industry is doing. Something that really sets them apart and is a differentiator. But these are usually hard to sell to clients.

How do we comfort clients enough that they are willing to be more aggressive in the design of their web sites? For many companies, taking a conservative, "proven" approach is the safest and easiest path. And when dealing with a larger group of decision makers, it is much easier to get consensus on something a little more traditional.

My goal is to get our clients to see the web with different eyes. With a twist. To take a "risk" and put a site out there that is a really different approach or concept. To be a leader in their respective industry. To have something that no one else has. So when someone visits their site they say (or at least think) "now this is different. Who are these people?".

This requires some forward thinking by the person or people picking a design. But I feel in the long run this kind of thinking could really pay off. Being a trend SETTER as opposed to a trend follower is what really makes for success. Sony created the Walkman. They set the trend in personal music devices. Of course Apple has really run with that in recent years. But Sony enjoyed a great deal of publicity with the whole Walkman trend. They launched a whole new product line.

I guess there are people out there that are uncomfortable sticking their necks out to be different. To take that "risk". But the gains can be really worth it. From a marketing and brand standpoint, this has the potential to elevate a company into a whole different realm.

I remember back in the dot com boom days that kids were starting companies in their parent's basements. They would design really hot web sites with flashy logos and give the illusion that they were really something. And in fact, many of them BECAME something. Of course there is far less risk in being a kid in your basement and acting like you are a multi-million dollar company. As opposed to a multi-million dollar company pretending they are a kid in their parent's basement. But too many multi-million dollar companies are unwilling to look less than polished and buttoned up. Too bad.

I digress a little here. But this is just to say that we want to try to get our clients to look at opportunities to stand out. And doing the same old thing as everyone else is doing isn't enough anymore.

The beauty of the web is that you can change it immediately if it isn't working for you. It isn't like you have printed 100,000 brochures and all of a sudden the company logo changes and those boxes of brochures become door stops.

So, take a risk or two with your design. Push the limits of what you have done before. Use the limits your competitors stopped at... and start there.

Reality Rejects!... Our Latest Video Project

From my friend Clyde's blog:

Optiem recently launched a new online video series for our client Insurance.com.

The concept behind this series, Reality Rejects, is a send-up of the reality TV genre, shot and edited in the style of mock-umentary shows like The Office and The Larry Sanders Show.

The premise behind the show is that each of our contestants has had a failed attempt to get onto another popular reality show, be it Survivor, The Biggest Loser, Beauty & the Geek, Americas Next Top Model, Dancing with the Stars, etc. and have now all come together to compete in a Bachelorette-style competition to win the affection and company of Jessica, as she and the final remaining houseguest will go on a weeks vacation together once the competition has concluded and a winner is chosen.

Jessica will be eliminating one houseguest each week, based on her judging of the outcome of that weeks competition.

The first episode, Meet the Contestants introduces the cast members, Rick, Barry, Hank, Danny, Candi and our host, Jessica, as we see them move into the Reality Rejects house and interact for the first time.


You can view the video at any of the following sites:

The May The Best Win blog

Our YouTube Channel

AOL Video

Danny's MySpace Page

Enjoy!

Beauty and the Creative Brief

As anyone who spends their days in indentured creativity can tell you, being creative day in and day out, on demand, under deadline, is a very hard thing to maintain. One of the things that we as creatives rely upon is a well written creative brief. A well crafted on can indeed make our work "beautiful".

Recently, I have set about reworking our Creative Brief template here at Optiem. As times change and we adapt new ways of doing things, these documents need maintenance in order to stay up to date with what we do. From specific questions about content management systems to how optimized for search a design should be, there are questions that as designers we need to know in order to produce a quality product for our clients.

Our creative brief document has indeed grown over the years. However we have tried to keep it simple and matter of fact. We rely on the Account Executives or the Project Managers here to complete these documents. And in fact, most of the questions on it are just that.. facts. We have purposely written the document to take out as much of the subjectivity of the person completing it as we can. This is important because unless the client themselves are filling out the document, we can't be sure that we are meeting all of their needs. So the actual questions don't leave much to guess.

Creative briefs are nothing new to the advertising industry. But in my experience, I haven't seen them applied often to the Internet. Be it a web site, email or otherwise. I think that is because most of the web companies are spawned by technology, not by creative. That is alright, but not really an excuse. If you are responsible for taking a client's vague vision of where they want to be positioned visually and with messaging and branding, you need a creative brief if you are going to touch them creatively.

Staying on message, staying on target (audience), and staying in budget are all things that are crucial to the process. Without a document to guide you through these obstacles, you are simply guessing at creative direction.

As a creative director for several years now, I have become pretty good at the guessing process. And often, frankly, the client really doesn't have a firm grasp on what they ultimately want anyway. We are in the somewhat luxurious position of helping them to find that. Branding, messaging, positioning, and creating exciting creative. But doing that in the vacuum without a creative brief document is like driving without a license. Eventually it is going to cost you.

If you aren't using a creative brief document to build your Internet products, I suggest you look into it. At the very least it will help you focus your creative vision. And that will always increase your chances at beautiful design. Write me and I will send you a copy of our document. It could serve as a good place to start for your very own process.

Whats Next? I will talk a little about wireframes (and why I hate them) and why designers should NEVER see them let alone create them. Also, at Optiem we use something called a PDD. Find out what THAT is and how it helps us keep our design work on target.

Heather Locklear Design

Recently I read an interesting post from Jason Santa Maria about working with clients that have difficulty seeing our vision...

"I’m a bit of a stalwart optimist and I’ve always considered that I need bad or, more appropriately, challenging clients. I’m not talking about clients that withhold respect, try to do my job, or undermine recommendations based on fear. No one wants those kinds. I mean clients that push us to create better things and to be better designers. Clients that want to learn, and want to question."

Now I have of course worked with a wide variety of clients just like Jason has. And I certainly have had my share of challenging ones. And the truth of the matter is, every time I get overly excited about one particular design I have done, the client never sees it the way I do. But I ask you... just as Jason has asked... is that a bad thing?

I recently did a design that I really felt would push the envelope for the area this particular client was focused on. The other sites in this arena were plain and simple. We really wanted to elevate this client's site and take it to a new level well beyond where its competitors were. It was a risk to present this kind of design to this particular client, because they were probably expecting something more in line with their industy's standard. However, we presented 4 designs, ranging from very simple and clean to a very intense, graphically dynamic one.

As a designer, I was drawn to the graphically intense one for many reasons. And I started praying almost immediately that they would choose that one. Of course they didn't. However, they DID choose one that will still be a fine addition to our portfolio and is much better than anything else their competitors have to offer.

My question is this. How do we keep pushing the "design envelope" and hoping our clients "get it" while almost always they are unwilling or unable to take the risk involved? Do we keep pushing ourselves to do designs we know they won't approve? How do we keep our intensity level up?

For me, I think it is just the possibility that one day, a visionary client will come in and say... "YES! WE GET IT! GO FOR IT!". But this is like me waiting for Heather Locklear to call me. I mean, I have been waiting for like 30 years now.. and still nothing.

It keeps me waking up in the morning. Not Heather, but the possibility that each day holds at my job. Doing something innovative, cool, a new idea, a never been done before design solution.

One day, the Heather Locklear of clients will call. In the meantime... Heather, please call me.