Designers work hard. We bring all of our expertise and aesthetics to each project. We brainstorm and iterate. We think through how the end-user, the visitor, or the reader, will interact with our design. As we should. To most people, designers work behind the scenes. People are likely to see the client as the one responsible for the project. Understanding the world our clients and stakeholders inhabit is essential for strategic design. An experience at an in-house agency made this clear.
The Importance of Stakeholders
I was a designer in the in-house design group for a communications company. We took on projects from other departments. We wrote design briefs with position statements and unique selling propositions. Then we presented concepts to our clients. Next we would iterate until our clients were satisfied with their design.
We hired this super-talented new designer from California. His work was amazing! He designed a beautiful brochure for a division that sold physical products. The photography was playful and innovative. The typography took our branding to new aesthetic heights.
A few months later we went to an off-site celebration for all employees. One session was “Worst Ideas of the Year.” First, we all had a laugh about having to answer the phone with the entire branding tagline (awkward). I was shocked to see that the very next slide was the fabulous brochure! The laughter continued as the speaker gently mocked the photography I loved.
But it wasn’t my department that was being mocked. It was our internal clients. That brought home to me that our clients are accountable for our work in ways we are not. They have to answer to their customers and peers for what we do.
Years later, I designed a trade booth skin. My customer sent me a photo of them standing in their booth. Quite literally standing in front of the design I made for them. That reinforced the message that our work represents our customers in their market. Not us. I wasn’t there to present the booth graphics.
Strategic Design takes into account the client’s business goals, needs, and preferences
Because clients and stakeholders, sometimes literally, stand beside our design work.
