Layers of the Onion
How to navigate approvals.
Used to, if your creative director liked your work, so did everybody else. Then you needed approval from the client who was one person. Simpler times. Nowadays, after getting through three layers of internal approval, it then goes to the client. And anybody from owners to interns might have a say. Sometimes there is a Board. I won't even get into lawyers or Compliance.
So what does this mean for you? It means that designers are unlicensed psychologists. It means that not only do you have to design something that answers the brief, but you also have to design it in such a way to answer others unspoken briefs. Or, at least, present it in such a way.
Some of this onion's-worth of layers is corporate survival structure. If enough people approve something, then no one person can get blamed if it blows up down the line. But it doesn’t always lead to the most compelling work.
What can a designer do?
- Know all your audiences as best you can.
- You won't make everyone happy, so focus on the one or two key people. The key people may or may not be the highest ranking people in the room.
- Adjust your presentation style. This does not mean change up the whole enchilada. Maybe just the order. Maybe switch up the words you use.
- Have reasons for everything.
- Be willing to lose something unimportant to keep something important.
- Know how your design fits into the larger presentation plan.
Here’s what I mean by that last one. Often in an agency setting, multiple ADs will work on a concept to put into the presentation pile. There is often a safe option, an option a bit out of their comfort zone, and a wildcard or something they likely won’t choose, but that helps them choose one of the other two. If the role of your design is the one not likely moving forward, that is OK as long as the contribution is duly noted. It can help to sell another option which in the end is selling an option. It can also be great for your portfolio. 😉
🕳️ The Rabbit Hole: Podcast Edition
This one sounds like a food episode, but it's really a story about survival and a mystery that a little bit of ancient branding helps solve.
After finishing their multi-part series on the French Revolution (also recommend), I decided to just listen to whatever their newest episode was, which was this one. These guys are great storytellers, and history has no shortage of stories. And they do a great job at context. So, yeah, a podcast about Heart of Darkness.
Architecture's representation on film (totally forgot about Charles Bronson in Death Wish), and whether or not The Brutalist is brutalist.
99pi