Conceptual vs Executional
One is not the other. Know the difference to use your time wisely.
Whether or not a project is conceptual or executional comes up a lot, and you can run into real trouble if everyone is not on the same page. This can be an issue both with managing expectations and also with estimating time.
Concept vs Execution is not good vs bad. Both types exist for a reason. But not knowing which type of project you’re working on can cause issues. Sometimes clients need a project that supports something existing or they want to stay very close to their norm. Or you’re given an image, some copy and a brand standard and simply need to make it work. Some projects need to communicate straightforward information. Other times clients want or need something radically different. Or a campaign idea. As you can imagine, getting the expectation wrong in any of these cases will lead to disappointment on their end or a waste of time on yours.
Conceptual
This means that there is a concept or big idea behind the project beyond a well-designed layout. It will require more time to first come up with this idea or concept before any mechanical work begins. You may need to brainstorm by yourself or in a group, or work with a copywriter as a team. Or all three.
A conceptual project:
is more about state change or sending a new message or idea
involves creating new elements
could take many different forms
Executional
This is when you are given the elements of a project and asked to use design to organize them in a way that best communicates. It either doesn't require a big idea behind it, or this might be a piece of a concept driven campaign where that idea has already been determined.
An executional project:
is more about giving information or reinforcing a communication or idea
often uses existing elements
has a narrower range of forms it can take
might be a revision of an existing project
Neither conceptual nor executional are directly related to the size of a project. One poster could be a conceptual project. A campaign could be executional.
Sometimes when it’s an executional project, some folks are hesitant to just say so. They don’t want to “hinder the creative process” or something like that. That's the opposite of what we need. Even in a conceptual project, designers need some limitations in order to choose from infinite possible paths.
Skip to 12:10 for the good stuff on constraints.
Be straightforward that it’s an executional project, and that’s OK. Not every project can be a big conceptual campaign. You’ll get what you needed, and the designer didn’t spend hours on a big idea that wasn’t needed.