In between periods of steady work when all is golden and you can do no wrong, there will always be lows. When nothing clicks. When everything just kinda sucks. When anything you do has some uncomfortable barrier of resistance. You won’t get the content you need, the process will seemingly fall apart, people won’t get the wireframes, or the designs will not be liked. Sometimes this will happen all at the same time. Then approval will get reversed and that project that didn’t come in will all-of-a-sudden need to be done faster than you originally thought. (Can you still make it happen?) That client still hasn’t paid you and now it’s tax time. The budget will get whittled down and then whittled some more. All the while more features will try to be snuck in for this and for that. Computer on the fritz! (Silence, silence.) You’re tired and frustrated and then, voila! It all starts to come together. It all moves in the right direction. It all feels right. And this is why you do what you do. For the thrill of it all. Aren’t you glad you stuck it out?
What are you doing to attract dream projects?
For the most part, I work with nonprofits, activists, and other creatives on progressively minded projects. For some sort of social cause. After 6 years of being independent, that’s expanded to include interesting startups, a University, and other small businesses I think are rad.
I really think small is beautiful. And local is beautiful since I do care about this place where I live. Small Omaha projects are just as engaging as bigger, national things. And often more rewarding because of how the work is used in the community. I’m just not all that into big brands.
Film and music and other culturally interesting efforts I enjoy and hope to do more by being more aggressive in approaching the people I really want to work with, rather than just letting the work come to me.
So to answer the question, I share the type of work I want to do more of. I write about that type of work and I have strong opinions about that type of work. And I’m out in the community participating in that type of work with the people who are making those types of projects happen.
Is there a job out there that has it all?
No, I’m going to say “no” firmly and hold to it. The quest for the perfect job is certainly a noble one. There was a time when I was obsessed with that quest. With establishing my criteria on multiple fronts and trying to get stars to align. The problem was that it became a quest for perfection. It was less about a new experience and more about finding the thing I was meant to do. This thinking became a trap and I was rendered immoveable until I finally just went for something.
I’m not saying you should make job decisions willy-nilly and jump to the next thing whenever it suits you. But I am saying to not be concerned with making sure a particular job has everything you’re looking for and will be a sure bet. There are no guarantees and no job is perfect. Whether you’re building your own business or with a stellar firm doing the type of work you want to be doing, there are always things missing. Always drawbacks. Look at a job as an opportunity to grow, change, and to be surprised by things you currently know nothing about.
When it comes to design
I will advocate for it. I will stand up for it. I will show you why it’s amazing and why it’s the foundation for anything worth anything in this world. I will root for it, I will cheerlead for it, I will defer to it. But I will not argue about it. If someone does not think these things after I have done the previous items on this list, I will move on. There is just no sense in trying to convince someone without taste that design is worth all it brings to the table in business, politics, community, etcetera and so on.
When saying no is the way to go
One of the best decisions made last year was firmly deciding to say “no” to a project. It was a big digital project for a really great documentary film. There were lots of positives. A great mission with a wide audience that could potentially make an impact on some important environmental issues. But in the end, the vibe around the work that needed to be done just felt off.
Before the project potential came in, current workloads were already close to full with time and energy stretched thin. But it was still doable. What made it not doable was being asked if it was possible by email, replying yes it was but we’d really need to get moving, and hearing nothing for weeks. The deadline was aggressive, and when the conversation was picked up weeks later it hadn’t changed at all. The client was just now ready to move.
The requirements were also big, and too ambiguous. Lots of “what if this and that” and “can you do this?” Which can be great starting points, but unfortunately, there seemed to be an alarming lack of clarity of what this urgent thing was needing to be.
Finally, the opportunity cost was too high. When it came down to it, the decision was made to not risk the quality or timeliness of the projects that were currently in design and development.
At the time, I felt terrible about saying no because I knew the project could be great. But in the end, declining was the right decision. It’s very important to know how long a project takes to do well and how you want to feel about the clients on the other side you’re going to be working with. And when things don’t add up, don’t be afraid to gracefully bow out. Usually that also means you’ll be ready for the next project that is the right fit.
The Business Side
It’s something I’ve had to get better at. And I have. But it’s also made me more of a jerk. And has, at times, caused me to lose sight of why I’m doing this in the first place. Administration. Project Management. Account Service. Jargon. Selling it. All that shit can be a drag. Sure, it does satisfy my organizational side, which I like. But too much of it, and too little of actually designing, can be a bummer. It’s a tug of war I suppose. Some sort of epic back and forth where you try to make sure the state of the business is solid and the creativity of the business continues to expand. Because at the end of the day, you put a stake in the ground on your thinking, your design, and your problem-solving. Not how efficient and organized you can be. Those are nice, but they aren’t why clients come to you to help them inspire people.
YOU are my favorite client
I’ve had many of these, which is one reason this whole Independent Design thing still seems worth it. The client who respects what I do. They expect me to do what I do at a very high level. They push me, they challenge me. They want something beautiful, delightful, and inspiring. And they know I’ve been doing this for a long time. They know I’m an expert in this field. They let me make the decisions, expand the idea of what’s possible, and most importantly, they let me think and design, design and think. They don’t want cheap, fast, or mediocre. And they are always sensitive to over stepping the generous nature of some of the scopes I work within.
Needless to say, when all this really great stuff isn’t happening on a project, it can really be a drag. When a client brings with them a lot of opposites to the above benefits, you just have to keep plugging away. Keep getting after it, keep grinding out mockups and ideas, keep trying to be open minded, keep trying to empathize.
In the end, hopefully both sides arrive at the end of the process satisfied with mutual respect in tact. And hopefully you’ve grown as a designer and as a person.
