Chapter 2
Project Setup

Getting Design Off to a Good Start

All design engagements generally follow this encapsulation of the designer’s work flow:

▸   Listen to a problem.

▸   Think about it.

▸   Form ideas.

▸   Sketch some design solutions.

▸   Present/sell the design.

▸   Get it approved.

▸   Make finished artwork.

▸   Possibly hand it off to others to produce.

▸   Deliver it.

▸   Bill it.

Although their projects may vary in complexity and duration, designers perform these activities over and over throughout their careers.

Organizing and Persuading

Effective use of organization and persuasion skills determines whether a design project succeeds or fails. In design and project management, to organize means to create a workable structure and prepare for the design team’s activities. It means taking responsibility for the orderly progression of the work required.

In project management, persuasion concerns the designer’s ability to cause someone—whether it is the client or members of the design team—to do something required during the project. Setting the stage for empowerment and having the stakeholders in a design project agree upfront to be managed is critical. In this way, persuasion begins the moment the designer takes on a project.

Basic and Broad Strokes First

Laying a good foundation is an important first step for any design project, large or small. Start by answering these simple questions that lead to forming a creative brief:

•  Who is the client? What is their problem/need?

•  What are we doing for them? What is our known list of deliverables?

•  When is it due? What are the project milestone dates?

•  Who do we want to work with on this job (internal /external team members)?

•  What is our budget? How will we allocate it?

The importance of obtaining this information and summarizing it in a creative brief cannot be stressed enough. You should write a creative brief at the beginning of each project. The creative brief allows design concept work to be initiated, and continues to guide project management during design implementation.

Components of a Creative Brief

Components of a Creative Brief

1. Background Summary:
Who is the client? What is the product or service? What are the strengths and weaknesses? Ask the client for any documents (research, reports, etc.) that help to understand the situation.

2. Overview:
What is the project? What are we designing and why? Why does the client think they need this project? What opportunity will the design support?

3. Drivers:
What is our goal for this project? What is the purpose of our work? What are our top three objectives?

4. Audience:
Who are we talking to? What do they think of the client’s product/service? Why should they care?

5. Competitors:
Who is the competition? What are they telling the audience that we should be also telling them? What differentiates our client from their competitors?

6. Tone:
How should we be communicating? What adjectives describe the feeling or approach?

7. Message:
What are we saying with this piece exactly? Are the words already developed or do we need to write them? What do we want audiences to take away? Are there any disclaimers or legal information that must be included?

8. Visuals:
How should these images look? Are we developing new images or picking up existing ones? If we are photographing them, who, what, and where are we shooting, and why? Are we commissioning illustrations or picking up stock?

9. Details:
What is the list of deliverables? What is the delivery medium? Are there any preconceived ideas, format parameters, or limitations and restrictions regarding the design? What are the timeline, schedule, and budget?

10. People:
Who are we reporting to? Who exactly is approving this work? Who needs to be informed of our progress and by what means?

Contracts Assist Project Management

The creative brief is just one of the tools that guides designers in their work. Another vital document is the contractual agreement between the designer and the client. This agreement—sometimes called a proposal, estimate, or deal memo—is a formal contract for design services to be rendered to a client for a set fee.

Never Practice Design without a Contract

No designer should begin work on a project without a legally binding agreement. Why? Because it is one of the most important tools for

•  Establishing the professional nature of the design engagement

•  Defining the work to be done, including the number of revisions

•  Outlining the process by which the work will be accomplished

•  Formalizing the working relationship between the designer and client

•  Building trust and, ultimately, acceptance of the designer’s work

•  Acting as a powerful communication vehicle for both designer and client to visualize how work will progress

•  Ensuring that the designer is not taken advantage of and the client gets what they expect

•  Providing a substantiating document that will stand up in court or in legal arbitration if the designer–client relationship turns bad

Although a well-written and signed designer–client agreement can stand up in a court of law, nine times out of ten, the most important role of the designer–client agreement is as a communication tool. It is a means for the designer and the client to discuss and define the scope of work the designer will provide, and the compensation the designer will receive, for a project they are about to work on together. Once agreed to, it becomes an excellent reference point to guide all design work and project management thereof.

Designer–Client Agreements

A detailed discussion of all the variations and permutations a graphic designer’s contractual agreements could assume is beyond the scope of this book. For our purposes, it’s important to understand that you need to create a formal written agreement for every client project you take on. To be effective, the agreement should include the following:

▸   Basic contact information:
The name, company name, address, phone number, and email address of the designer and the client should appear on the document.

▸   The date:
The document must be dated as a reference point. This will also help avoid confusion if subsequent amended versions of the agreement are created.

▸   Basic project information:
Use the project name the client uses. Provide a brief project outline, sometimes called the scope of work or statement of work (SOW). Describe the work to be done, including any known deliverables, and summarize the project objectives. The summary should be specific enough to act as a starting point for the pricing of the project and initial design development phases.

▸   Process outline:
Indicate the iterative process—typically a sequence of steps or phases—that you recommend for the project. It is helpful to include the deliverables and milestones in each phase as a point of reference, and to check them off once they are completed. Also include the number of rounds/scope of revisions or refinements in each phase. Explain how the client will be integrated into the process and the client’s responsibilities in each phase.

▸   Fees and estimated expenses:
Fees are the designer’s compensation for the work provided, and expenses are the out-of-pocket costs for materials, supplies, and any subcontractor work purchased specifically for the project.

▸   Terms and conditions:
This is the legal language explaining your working relationship with the client. A series of clauses describes things such as payment terms, intellectual property rights transfer, promises about originality, a dispute resolution process, and other key information. Designers often start their careers with very simple terms and conditions, utilizing only a few clauses in their contracts. However, as they encounter problems in their client projects over the years, they tend to add additional language to deal with these unfortunate circumstances. Why not protect yourself well and use extensive terms and conditions language?

▸   Dated signatures:
In many ways, this is the most important item in the agreement, because it shows that on a certain day a certain person representing the client agreed to the contents of the contract. A signed contract is hardcore proof of a deal.

Case Study Project Setup:

COLLINS: / BIG, Ogilvy & Mather / New York, New York USA

COLLINS:, led by Brian Collins, creates experiences, products, and digital interactions that transform and strengthen the relationship between organizations, brands, and people. “We use storytelling at every step of our approach: to understand the life of organizations, to articulate new possibilities, and to build ideas into experiences,” says Collins. “Stories embrace a world of information and give it meaning. In doing so, they kick-start what a thousand bullet points cannot: action.”

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Helios

The agency’s work, in conjunction with Boston-based architectural firm Office dA and BIG/Ogilvy, on the BP Helios House began with the concept of turning the typical gas station into a laboratory for sustainable design thinking. People stop for gas only because they have to. The design team’s mission was to completely reinvent this U.S. service station experience. The result is a

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solar-powered gas station that minimizes energy and water use, reducing costs and CO2 emissions. Within weeks, Helios House became a new California landmark. It won the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, the nationally accepted benchmark for the construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

OPPOSITE
The corner of Olympic and Robertson boulevards in Los Angeles is the site BP chose for a new kind of gas station. The team developed unique green technologies and new customer experiences that are being tested for use in BP outlets in other locations. The transformation began behind construction screens, seen left, that featured an evolving supergraphic image. As the construction of the new station grew, so did the “grass” on the screens and the billboard at the site, turning the daily drive-by experience into anticipation. Six months later, the grass had grown to cover the billboards.

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OPPOSITE AND BELOW LEFT
The soaring canopy with its thousands of triangles was inspired by the BP Helios logo (which was previously designed by Landor) and by California roadside architecture. Its skin is embedded with ninety solar panels that produce 15,000 kWh of electricity to power the station, cut costs, and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 2.5 tons (2.27 metric tons). For thousands of drivers, Helios House is a bright spot on their journey and inspiring proof of innovation from a company that seeks to go “Beyond Petroleum” (BP’s tagline).

BELOW RIGHT
Pumps dispense not only gas, but also videos of energy-saving tips. The pumps were completely redesigned for ease of use. The COLLINS: team also designed training materials for station attendants to improve the customer experience and spark dialogue about energy efficiency. A website extends the conversation.

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Case Study Project Setup:

COLLINS: / BIG, Ogilvy & Mather / New York, New York USA

BELOW
This is detail of the map given to visitors who want more information about the ideas behind Helios House. The map highlights each sustainability protocol at the station. Other printed collateral, such as postcards of the station, are wildly popular. The cards, which offer a curriculum of energy-saving ideas, are made of recycled paper and embedded with flower seeds so that people can plant them when they get home.

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BELOW
Recycling is evident everywhere. The architects invented a better system that collects rainwater to irrigate the plants around the station. The restrooms are covered with a green roof of living plants, which reduces the need for heating and cooling. Floor-to-ceiling tiles in the restrooms are recycled glass in graphic mosaics. Lights, water, hand dryers, and even customizable music are activated by motion sensors to minimize the need for touching surfaces. ABC News reported drivers going miles out of their way just to use the restrooms at Helios House.

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Metropolis

COLLINS: created the May 2009 cover of Metropolis magazine as a conceptual illustration of its Next Generation project, which celebrates innovation in renewable wind power. Brian Collins and his talented team—John Fullbrook III, Timothy Goodman, and Jason Nuttal—developed several smart directions, but the pinwheel/pylon juxtaposition piqued Metropolis editors’ interest. The final cover—fun, bold, and hopeful—clearly reflects the idea of alternative energy sources.

BELOW
This issue of Metropolis features a story on wind power and how three designers have developed a way to achieve energy independence using the towers already in existence. In addition to the cover, COLLINS: designed a pinwheel on the inside pages that readers can cut out.

BELOW RIGHT
COLLINS: also developed an exhibit about the Next Generation project for Metropolis in which viewers are encouraged to write down and share their hopes for the future.

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Case Study Project Setup:

COLLINS: / BIG, Ogilvy & Mather / New York, New York USA

Alliance for Client Protection

In conjunction with the Martin Agency, COLLINS: worked to tell the story of the urgent need for strong debate and forward-moving grassroots action on the issue of climate change. Its client, the Alliance for Climate Protection, is a nonprofit organization created by Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. The organization’s core message is “We can solve the climate crisis,” and it works to bring public attention to the issue. COLLINS: developed a strategy to transform parochial concerns into a social movement. The inspiration behind the branding is “We the People...” which are the opening words of the U.S. Constitution (the supreme law of the country). Within months, hundreds of thousands of people called for the global treaty and thousands more wrote the U.S. State Department. Two million people have since joined the effort.

BELOW LEFT
The story of a global problem transforming into a personal solution is captured in the logo. “We are the solution, but we still includes me,” creative director Brian Collins explains. “We needed a unique visual language with clarity and warmth. So, we created a new typeface to do that. The letterforms are strongly declarative, while their rounded shapes convey a sense of openness and optimism.”

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OPPOSITE, RIGHT
The transformative logo is a key graphic unifying device. Ads, such as the newspaper spread below, aimed to enlist everyone as climate activists. The Alliance for Climate Protection sought to catalyze a cultural shift from a hyperindividualized society toward a shared future. Personal gear created by COLLINS: helped individuals identify themselves as members of a social movement, while helping to fund the organization.

BELOW
The website is idea driven. The simple interface and no-nonsense design convey the sense of a citizen organization with a job to do. Design thinking alone ignited media coverage, a force-multiplier for budgets better invested in programs. COLLINS: helped the client put their effort where it has had the greatest tangible effect.

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Scoping the Work

To price any design project, designers must know what they’re going to do for the client. That’s simple enough. Just get a list of deliverables—the scope of work (SOW)—from the client and estimate the work based on the list. The only problem is that these lists are often preliminary, and don’t end up being executed as initially outlined. Clients focus on the artifacts that designers create as though that was all their working relationship consisted of, and do not factor in the need for broad-based creative consultation. Designers regularly need to immerse themselves in research, analysis, and strategy before they can create anything. Plus, in these early discovery and strategic thinking phases, both business and creative insights are acquired that greatly impact and often alter the list of deliverables the designer will create.

Therefore, until this early design thinking is completed, an accurate SOW is illusive. It seems like a classic catch-22; designers can’t estimate their fees until they understand what they’re doing, but they can’t know what they’ll be doing until they begin the work. They don’t want to start work until they have an agreed-upon fee. So, what is a designer to do?

Work-around for a Missing SOW

Here are a couple of scenarios to consider that can help jumpstart a project:

•  Provide the client with an estimate for the discovery and strategy phases, with the caveat that subsequent work will be outlined and estimated upon completed and approved results of these phases.

•  Submit an estimate/agreement based on the deliverables/SOW provided by the client. Add a change order caveat that lets the client know that any changes to the described SOW will result in a change order or amendment to the original estimate. (See more about change orders below.)

The bottom line is that you have to start someplace. With experience comes a better understanding of how a client’s project will likely proceed. If you don’t commit to something and can’t hammer out an agreement, you have no project to go forward with. Defining the scope of work is tricky until there is an approved design strategy. Don’t let this stop you. This is why pricing is about trying to assess the value of the work to the client’s business. It’s not about how many hours it will take or what artifacts will be created. It’s about leveraging design’s power in a consulting relationship with the client.

Change Orders

A change order is an amendment or addition to an existing approved and signed designer–client agreement. It means something has been added to—or changed within—the client-approved SOW, the process by which the work will be done, and/or the compensation to the designer.

In essence, a change order is a contract update that results in

•  Additional fees and/or expenses to be paid by the client

•  Additional time for the designer to complete the work Rarely, a change order outlines a decrease in the designer’s fees and/or expenses. Typically, designers opt to simply reduce the invoice amount to reflect the amended SOW rather than send a change order.

The change order document should look much like the original estimate or agreement. Legal terms and conditions can be omitted, and just referred to with language such as “Work covered under this change order is subject to the terms and conditions agreed to in the designer–client agreement dated x.”

However, a change order should include

•  Designer contact information

•  Client contact information

•  Date

•  Name of project

•  New scope of work

•  New fees and expenses

•  Dated signatures

Note in the original designer–client agreement that the designer may, if necessary, provide a change order. It helps keep clients in check because they understand their additional requests and changes will mean the designer expects additional time and money as a result.

Details Matter

Understanding that there are both perils and advantages in describing the SOW on a design project before a designer truly understands what needs to be done, what, then, is the best approach? Covering a few basic details will suffice.

Include the following when scoping:

•  A brief summary of the project’s goals and objectives.

•  A list of the component deliverables—for example, an identity package comprising a logo, tagline, and basic business papers, including letterhead, envelope, and business card.

•  In some cases, a simple definition of the component deliverables’ structure or size—for example, the number of pages in a brochure or on a website. Often, until the design concept is developed, the precise structure is unknown.

•  Delivery media. For example, is it an online project? Will the designer post it or simply provide files? For a print project, will the designer buy printing or hand off artwork to the supplier?

•  Glaringly obvious services that are not included in the agreement. If such things as photography, copywriting, or manufacturing are relevant to the project, they should be included. These and other expense items might be purchased by the client, or perhaps the designer will estimate them later once the design concept is approved. Whatever the circumstance, make it clear.

Project Phase Descriptions

A further consideration in terms of scoping is to outline the design process. The chart on page 10–11 contains a thorough breakdown of the process most designers use. Using similar language in agreements and schedules aids the client in understanding design development as a professional, measurable activity. It takes the confusion out of the picture without diminishing or attempting to quantify the creative magic that nearly always occurs in any design project.

Here are some ways to describe the design work process:

•  Outline all work in numbered phases and give each phase a descriptive title or name.

•  List the major activities that will occur in each phase.

•  List the deliverables for each phase.

•  Specify the number of revisions a client may request in each phase. Try to define the complexity of these revisions; saying “one round of revisions” is broad, but it implies that the client must gather all changes at once and present them to the designer for inclusion at one time.

•  Note the designer’s expectations of the client in each phase. This informs the client that they must provide or approve something at a certain time before work can progress to the next phase.

Case Study in Organizing and Persuading:

Voice / Adelaide, Australia

Voice is a multidisciplinary design consultancy established in 1999 and led by codirectors Anthony De Leo and Scott Carslake. The firm delivers solutions in digital media, environmental, identity, packaging, promotional, publications, and typeface design. At the heart of the practice is a love of developing new ways of communicating with alluring and engaging visuals. Voice is also driven by a belief that the “unspoken voice often resonates the loudest,” which can have some intriguing manifestations in terms of design. Both De Leo and Carslake are committed to a clear design process. “Discussing our process and how we develop, evaluate, and refine our work is very important to the client and their comfort levels with us,” explains Carslake. “If they understand this, they have a better understanding and respect for our business. Then they know we don’t just pull ideas from our back pockets.”

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Finsbury Green Report

Finsbury Green is Australia’s leading commercial printer that operates under the world’s best environmental practices and certifications. This international certification reassures customers that Finsbury Green’s environment systems deliver genuine benefits, including the measuring and monitoring of all environmental impacts. For more than ten years, Finsbury has supplied printing services to Voice. “We have an excellent relationship with the managing director, one that has turned into a great friendship,” explains Carslake. In 2008, the printers commissioned Voice to create their sustainability report. Says Carslake, “The communication channels are very open. We openly discuss print margins, cost of stock, and so on, so when it came to this project, we dove straight in and didn’t hold back on developing ideas that would get the attention of their audience, stakeholders, and staff.”

BELOW AND OPPOSITE
Voice felt it could take Finsbury into a more powerful and dominating position in the “green” printing industry. Voice reinforced this message through the theme “You reap what you sow.” Finsbury’s work-place was turned into a natural wonderland with the staff photographed within the scenes going about their daily tasks, oblivious to the fanciful surroundings. Typography and graphs carried the nature theme throughout the document.

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“If the client receives the right management and enjoys the experience along with the work, a strong, successful relationship will develop and we will be able to bring their brand to new places.”
—Anthony De Leo, codirector, Voice

Case Study in Organizing and Persuading:

Voice / Adelaide, Australia

Polar

In 1977, Polar was founded to pioneer the development, manufacturing, and marketing of wireless heart rate monitors for sports professionals. Today, the company employs 1,200 people worldwide, has twenty-one subsidiaries globally, and manages a distribution network supplying more than 35,000 retail outlets in more than eighty countries. Australian Polar distributor, Pursuit Performance, engaged Loud Communications to review sales and marketing activities, and provide a new brand and message for this leading global icon. Loud teamed with Voice to create a significantly different direction for the catalog, a major selling tool for the brand.

BELOW AND OPPOSITE
“Instead of simply redesigning the existing brochure and making it look and function better, we went back to the roots of their audience and products. This enabled us to create a new way of presenting the products and how they are sold to the market,” says De Leo. “The client showed great courage in allowing us to take this path; we had to instill a lot of confidence and encourage them that this was a way to greater sales and brand presence,” adds Carslake. The client was open to all manner of ideas but clearly focused on achieving greater sales outcomes. The resultant design expresses enthusiasm, energy, and a spirit of bravado that says, “We want to lead the world in how this product is marketed.” The results speak for themselves: Launched in January 2009, the catalog had an immediate impact, with record sales achieved in only its first month.

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Case Study in Organizing and Persuading:

Voice / Adelaide, Australia

Longview Vineyard

Longview is a stunning, family-owned vineyard located just outside the historic township of Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills. Set on undulating slopes reminiscent of classic Old World estates, it has quickly established itself as one of the most awarded vineyards in the region since its first vintage in 2001. In 2008, Voice was commissioned to relabel some of Longview’s premium wines.

BELOW
“The clients, brothers Peter and Mark Saturno, had never worked with a designer before, so we had to work extremely hard to get them to have confidence in Voice, the design process, and fee structure,” says Carslake. “Once they were committed, we went about the process a little differently: After numerous field trips to the vineyard, wine tastings, open discussions, and so on, we presented three concepts for the labels:

•  The first one took exactly what they wanted according to their brief.

•  The second one took their brief a little further.

•  The third one represented what we thought was best and where we wanted to take them.

When we presented our third concept, they couldn’t go back to what they thought they wanted in the brief. In this way, we gained their confidence by doing what they asked, and then by taking them to a place they couldn’t imagine. The approach worked brilliantly for this client and illustrated the value of working with designers. Longview has come a long way, and they now have very high expectations of Voice and the concepts we develop. It is a great relationship, as we are always being challenged and looking forward to the next project.”

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Back Label

In Australia, cleanskin is a term for bottled wine that doesn’t carry a label or any other identifying marks. Cleanskin wines are sold in sealed cartons of six or twelve bottles, and the carton must display a label that meets the minimum legal requirements as defined by Australian law. “Cleanskin wines have been sold in Australia since at least the early 1960s, but they are generally popular only during periods of imbalance in the Australian domestic wine market,” says De Leo.

“Wineries will sell cleanskins to dump excess or unwanted wine stocks and do so to avoid the negative consequences of discounting their existing brands.” This form of dumping often has very little to do with the quality of the wine. In 2009, Back Label commissioned Voice to design a label for its cleanskin.

“The perception and value of the design industry changes when clients realize they need design expertise and they actually experience the design process with a designer.”
—Anthony De Leo, codirector, Voice

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LEFT
Cleanskin wines are characterized by their very low price, a simple paper label, and the fact that they can be purchased as individual bottles. “Typically, there is no budget,” explains Carslake. “Labels are generally printed on an in-house laser printer at each winery, labeled, packed, and sent to retail stores. With Back Label, the client wanted to see what we could do for a minimal fee, but they were not expecting anything of real value.” The resultant graphics are visually arresting and took the idea of a cleanskin label to a new place.

Case Study in Organizing and Persuading:

Voice / Adelaide, Australia

Type It Write

Now in its second edition, Voice’s own product, called Type It Write, is an indispensable reference guide to punctuation geared toward designers. To foster clearer and more effective communication, this book addresses the usage of the most common forms of punctuation, including apostrophes, commas, quotation marks, and semicolons, and provides valuable guidance about matters such as emphasis, placing punctuation with quotation marks, and preparing lists.

“All graphic design studios are presented with copy from clients to be typeset,” notes Carslake. “How well this copy is prepared varies, and so does the expectation on the graphic designer to double as an editor. We started to notice that with every job we produced, we were cleaning up punctuation mistakes and inconsistencies in supplied copy. We became frustrated with the repetitious process of proofing and editing supplied copy, not least because as designers, editing was not our primary skill, but also because it became obvious that copy prepared correctly in the first place would save us and our clients a lot of time.” Out of this need, Voice produced a guide to punctuation that could be supplied to clients as a reference tool when writing copy to be typeset.

The second edition of Type It Write introduces additional topics, such as the use of acronyms and italics, and places more emphasis on usage examples. The book is more exciting visually and even easier to use than the first edition.

BELOW AND OPPOSITE
After years of being continually asked if there were any spare copies floating around the studio, Voice knew it was time to edit and print a second edition. “Over time, Type It Write has attracted the interest of people from various industries; we regularly receive emails about the book and get specific feedback on some of the finer details of punctuation and grammar,” says Carslake. Voice will also create customized editions of the publication that are branded and follow specific corporate style standards for companies with more than 250 staff members. More details are available at www.typeitwrite.com.au.

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Tools for Organizing Design

Along with the basic structural blueprints—the creative brief, designer–client agreement, SOW, and process outline—designers can also employ some specific tools to help them organize project work flow. The main objective here is to provide constant communication and oversight of the project. Everyone involved in the design—both the designer’s team and the client’s—needs to have the project’s scope, vision, and goals at hand.

Typically, there are hundreds of details to consider, respond to, incorporate, and handle. Each team member tends to focus only on his or her own piece of the project, so someone has to keep the overall picture in mind. This is the role of the project manager.

Because design firms are often small businesses, it is common to have only one project manager who is responsible for all projects. Therefore, it is not unusual to have a design manager who is sweating the details of specific projects as well as monitoring the firm’s overall work flow. Details on top of details present themselves and must be considered and prioritized in a kind of constant triage.

Tracking Documents

To help facilitate the process, project managers should create documentation and tracking tools, including

•  A master list of job numbers

•  A list of all open jobs with key milestone dates

•  Status reports on individual projects

•  Detailed schedules on each project

•  Team contact information sheets for each project

•  Job jackets for each project, both digital and physical

•  Gantt charts and calendars plotting all open job deadlines

•  Billing status reports on all projects

•  Time sheets for all team members

•  Progress reports that chart hours worked by team members

•  Purchase orders to track project-related expenses

•  Expense reports for out-of-pocket costs

•  Income projections

The objective is to create useful information that helps manage the process. There are myriad ways to accomplish this; choose the one that provides the most useful information, and that is easy to implement and update. Project managers can add layers of complexity to the information recorded, thereby making tons of work for themselves. For some firms, this might be necessary; for others, it’s not. Use trial and error and do what works best for your firm. The only certainty is that having no documentation is a recipe for disaster. Something somewhere will inevitably be forgotten or missed.

Forecasting the Work

To better manage the work in a design firm you need to keep two lists:

1. Open Jobs
This is a list of all projects you have committed to. These jobs have signed designer–client agreements and are in some stage of progress. If the list includes your fees for the projects, the document becomes an accounts receivable list. If you specify the month you expect to receive payments, you have an income projection document. When the projects on the list include a note regarding what stage the work is in, the list becomes a status report. Make sure to open a unique job number for each project, even for house jobs. Update the open jobs list frequently.

2. Potential Work
This is a list of possible jobs. List projects that clients have talked about but haven’t requested an estimate for. Also list all proposals that are pending client approval. Here again, adding information such as expected compensation and potential start and completion dates boosts the document’s effectiveness as a forecasting tool. Understanding cash flow (the movement of cash in and out of the business), and the need to increase sales and new-business development (because there’s no upcoming work) or consider hiring additional staff members (because there’s too much work on the horizon), is possible by tracking potential work in an organized way. There is an ebb and flow to all design businesses, but the need for steady income streams is constant. This list allows you to manage that.

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These charts illustrate three versions of a design firm’s status report. The top one is a simple job list with minimal information about the status of work. The bottom right version, which is emailed to the design team, acts as more of a to-do list with more detailed tasks broken down. The bottom left chart is a billing status report in which a project manager provides a bookkeeper with billing information. Any and all of these documents can be used effectively to keep work flowing through a design firm.

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Job Numbers

There are many ways to number design projects to keep track of them for work flow and billing purposes. Here’s a system that works well:

Client Code + Sequential Number

For example:
ABC100 (Job #100 is for ABC Television) IBM101 (Job #101 is for IBM Corporation)

Identifying jobs this way makes them more memorable than a string of numbers only. It also facilitates filing physical job jackets and paperwork by client. It is important to open or create job numbers for each and every job in house, even the firm’s self-initiated projects.

The Advantages of Time Sheets

Another essential tool that well-run design firms use is the time sheet, which records how designers spend their workday. By breaking the workday into fifteen-minute increments, recording the tasks done, and assigning this time to an open job number, designers provide managers with important information that affects the project, and the firm’s overall health and wealth.

Time sheets

•  Tell designers how they spent their time

•  Record actual work on jobs

•  Help determine profitability

•  Assist in accurate billing

•  Give employers an understanding of the staff’s efficiency

•  Allow employees to justify their salaries

•  Alert project managers to time/budget issues on jobs

•  Inform hiring decisions and capacity planning

•  Provide a means of more accurate scoping and pricing on future projects

Project management software requires diligent updates by the project manager and consistent data input by the design team to keep the information accurate and up to date. As with everything, there are pros and cons to using a software solution.

Some of the pros of design project management software:
•  It affords good information sharing among multiple team members, particularly virtual teams.

•  It provides a central hub for all information and records.

•  Dynamic changes to the information are possible and easy.

•  Web-based solutions allow access to the information wherever and whenever the team needs it.

•  It provides a perception of order and thorough management, which can be impressive to executives in a design firm, and to clients if they have access.

•  It assists in workforce management, creating records for costs, paid and unpaid time off, vacations, attendance, and skills assessment.

Some of the cons of design project management software:
•  The information may be inaccurate if it is not constantly updated.

•  Some programs put too much emphasis on tasks and milestones, and not enough on overall project goals and parameters.

•  Many “all-in-one” solutions don’t allow for a look at estimated versus actual time on a project.

•  Few, if any, solutions have good invoicing and accounting capabilities.

When selecting design project management software, look for programs that

•  Are Web-based

•  Are easy to learn and use

•  Allow for collaboration

•  Have features you will actually use

Case Study in Project Setup:

AtelierWorks / London, UK

Headed by designers Ian Chilvers, John Powner, and Quentin Newark, AtelierWorks is a graphic design studio specializing in branding. “AtelierWorks is a name that expresses our firm,” says Chilvers. “An ‘atelier’ is a place where artists work, a place of imagination. A ‘works’ houses efficient modern industry. We combine imagination and effectiveness in our practice.” The studio produces a range of branded materials for a variety of clients. Its process, however, remains the same: research, conceive, develop, execute, and appraise. It is a systematic approach that serves AtelierWorks well.

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Volkswagen

Both Volkswagen (VW) and Audi cars had been sold in the same showrooms for years. However, as the market expanded it became necessary to separate the brands and redesign the showroom and collateral materials. The Volkswagen Retail Concept (VRC) was created in Germany. VRC laid down the basic principles for a new showroom environment and the United Kingdom was to lead the way in implementing the strategy. It was also seen as an opportunity to change the way dealers worked. Dealers were to become retailers, putting customers’ interests first. Over five years, AtelierWorks worked closely with a small but important set of VW marketing staff members, external design managers, suppliers, and architects. The goal was to unify all the VW activities and materials so that every new marketing initiative built on the success of the previous one.

“The dilemma faced when developing any corporate merchandise range is the task of producing something a customer would actually want,” says Chilvers. “Inspiration was drawn directly from high street fashion labels. It seems obvious now, but this had never really been done before.” Previous branded merchandise was more about promoting a VW logo than generating an understated “must have” product. AtelierWorks made the VW branding elements much more discreet. Like the corporate merchandise, the accessory packaging had also ignored the high street. Some items were supplied from the factory in Germany, but much of it came from other outside sources. The result was an uncoordinated display in the new showroom.

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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE
Elements such as signs, point-of-sale pieces, vehicle presentations, paperwork, merchandise, and packaging were areas of the business that (at the time) were approached differently in every country because they were subject to regional legislation and cultural attitudes.

AtelierWorks was tasked with making the VW brand connect with the UK consumer. These initial package designs, below, were developed to be applied to both factory and outside supplier products. They feature clear labeling, color-coded ranges, and humorous imagery.

Case Study in Project Setup:

AtelierWorks / London, UK

King’s College London

King’s College London is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the University of London. The school is one of the top academic institutions of its kind in Europe, yet it had an identity issue that AtelierWorks helped to solve. “They own much of the south façade of The Strand [a historical street in Central London], and yet no one knew it,” says Chilvers. “We proposed a timeline that plots every year since King’s founding in 1829.” Each year presents significant alumni—from the Duke of Wellington to the Reverend Desmond Tutu, and right up to the present day (a language student named Magdelena Jackiewicz).

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The design incorporates large portraits of key figures in the history of King’s College. “The timeline unifies the various architectural styles and treatments of the façade and gives several messages about King’s: We own all this; we provoke thought; we have produced significant world-changing students; we still do, and hope to continue this in the future,” explains Chilvers.

The 623 foot (190 m) frontage along the River Thames defines the territory of King’s College. It is outward-facing and addresses a wider public than the client imagined possible when they first asked AtelierWorks to look at signing their buildings. The effect is an enormous branding experience that is also a history lesson for passersby. “This is sign work as branding. This is branding reaching out to the public,” says Chilvers.

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Royal Geographic Society

The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) was founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences. The society has an eminent history—with explorers such as David Livingstone, Ernest Shackleton, and Sir Edmund Hillary, all having researched and lectured on their travels to the society’s fellows in the wood-paneled lecture hall. This previously dusty and remote body was in need of modernization. Beginning with a full brand audit and culminating in a set of guidelines, the RGS then decided to retain AtelierWorks’ services. Over a five-year period, AtelierWorks redesigned all of the RGS communications and continues to do so. This ongoing relationship has brought continuity to the brand.

BELOW LEFT AND CENTER
The challenge for AtelierWorks was to design materials that appeal to the widest possible audience range, making the important subject of geography relevant to young and old alike. Colorful graphics and provocative imagery pull the viewer into this fascinating area of study. The RGS logo is based on map typography. “We have used a globelike disc as the focus for all imagery,” notes Chilvers. “The disc is also an identifier and an element that works in 3-D for things like signs, and in the digital world for websites.”

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The website appeals to both new audiences and those familiar with RGS. With more than 15,000 members, the society is the largest and most active of the world’s scholarly geographical societies. It is a leading world center for geographic learning—supporting education, teaching, research, and scientific expeditions, as well as promoting public understanding and enjoyment of geography.

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Persuasion and Project Management

Every design project requires a guide who will be responsible for making sure the design team delivers on the client’s expectations. This role passes through several phases, and requires different skills depending on the project’s status:

•  Leader: commanding the respect of the client and design team

•  Manager: actively participating in and guiding the process

•  Monitor: overseeing and being accountable for the project’s status

•  Mentor: advising, counseling, and maybe even training team members

•  Enforcer: compelling compliance and ensuring that things happen as required

Another important aspect of setting up a design project is empowering the person acting as project manager. Typically, a project manager is not the team members’ actual “boss.” Even if the entire team agrees in theory, in practice, they aren’t always easy to manage. Powerful persuasion skills used right from the start, and then applied throughout the project lifecycle, is critically important for any project manager.

Because the project manager is a functional lead in terms of getting the work done, and is often speaking to the various stakeholders, including the client, on a near-daily basis, the project manager needs to persuade people to trust him or her.

METHODS OF PERSUASION
This chart provides six methods of persuading people. You can use these concepts on your design team to manage projects, or with clients to manage the working relationship, particularly for getting approval on design solutions.

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Managing by Persuasion

Human nature being what it is, many well-intentioned designers go off track or procrastinate when a job becomes difficult. Poor planning and bad organization can lead to all kinds of things that derail a project. The goal here is to keep things progressing toward the client’s objectives. This is where the fine art of persuasion can be leveraged to great effect.

In this context, persuasion means influencing, guiding, and inducing someone to do or believe in something. However, creativity is elusive. Sometimes creativity is hard work, and even a well-intentioned, experienced designer can get bogged down. A project manager needs to help get designers back to the task. Being demanding or threatening rarely, if ever, works, so persuasion and even salesmanship need to be employed.

Motivating the Team

Design project managers bounce between being a designer’s best friend and his or her worst nightmare. As long as things keep flowing and the work is getting done, everything is all sunshine and roses. But when things become confused or are done incorrectly, or when deadlines are missed, project managers must lay down the law and get things right again.

Project managers must be able to motivate, inform, encourage, and enable the design team. Some designers work for the pure love of design. Some work for fame and glory. Still others are in it for the money. Therefore, the tactics to use when persuading members of a design team to meet their responsibilities and make great work will vary among teams. What will remain constant, however, is the fact that whoever is managing the design team and/or the client needs to be credible from day one. His or her authority, expertise, and functional proficiency need to be unquestioned to garner respect, trust, and empowerment.

The following ideas can be put into action to boost credibility:

•  Exhibit competence:
Be prepared for meetings, calls, questions, and problems.

•  Be confident:
Speak clearly and trust yourself, your team, and your process.

•  Showcase your track record:
Cite examples, talk about case studies, and prove that you have relevant experience.

•  Keep emotions in check:
Remain calm, and keep a clear head and an even hand.

•  Don’t lie:
Even small inauthenticities can spoil your reputation.

•  Deliver on time and on budget:
Managers aren’t typically responsible for the quality of the design; that is the domain of the creative director. But they are in charge of schedule and cost containment.

Meet these commitments and you will win lasting credibility.

By the way, these things apply to boosting credibility with your clients as well.

25 Tips for Design Project Managers

1. Know and understand the project’s goals.

2. Have clear roles and responsibilities.

3. Define success criteria.

4. Get process methodology approved upfront.

5. Build in time for quality control.

6. Negotiate achievable commitments.

7. Keep communication open and up to date.

8. Maintain the schedule, or notify everyone of changes in the timeline.

9. Readjust the process/plan based on progress.

10. Maintain a clear grasp on reality.

11. Make decisions in a timely manner.

12. Manage project risks.

13. Course-correct before problems escalate.

14. Separate the people from the problem.

15. Invent options for mutual satisfaction and gain.

16. Be honest and respectful.

17. Keep it moving, take action, and don’t delay.

18. Delegate, delegate, delegate.

19. Respect the team’s learning curve.

20. Stay flexible.

21. Have a contingency plan.

22. Do the best you can with what you’ve got.

23. Learn from your mistakes.

24. Say you are sorry and mean it.

25. Learn from your mistakes; do a postproject evaluation.

Project Profile in Project Setup:

House Styling magazine designed by Good Design Company / Tokyo, Japan

House Styling Magazine

Founded in 1999 by art director/president Manabu Mizuno, Good Design Company is a multidisciplined design firm based in Ebisu, the design hub of Tokyo. It creates advertising, product planning tools, print projects, books, identity packages, package design, and interior design for a variety of Japanese and international brands. The firm also does retail and furniture design. Good Design Company worked with House Styling magazine for several years developing cover graphics and furniture products.

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Covers for 2004, 2005, and 2006 issues of House Styling feature images of young people in sleek, modern environments. The magazine paired lush photos of rooms with a catalog-like selection of individual home décor pieces, from furniture to lighting to linens. This type of publication is sometimes referred to as a magalog.

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Good Design Company’s furniture designs were sold through House Styling. Its work captures a contemporary yet classic elegance that is at once international and uniquely Japanese.

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House Styling offered readers editorial content mixed with glimpses of the environments favored by Japanese tastemakers and celebrities. The graphics support the idea that this magazine assists readers in understanding how to put together and accessorize their homes.

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Salesmanship

One important aspect of persuasion in design is sales. Whether it’s receiving approval on a design solution or securing a deadline extension, getting your way may take a bit of selling. Of course, one element of salesmanship is all about showmanship: a dazzling and compelling performance. However, the best salesmanship in design occurs in the form of quiet persuasion, when the client doesn’t feel you are selling them something. Rather, your suggestions seem to be a logical, inevitable, and desirable outcome.

Any designer can learn from a great salesperson. Here are some things that effective salespeople do that might help a design manager:

•  Have a clear objective.

•  Do their homework.

•  Have good timing.

•  Stay in the moment.

•  Use relevant triggers.

•  Present persuasively.

•  Listen and respond.

•  Enjoy negotiating.

•  Connect with others.

•  Use visual aids.

•  Aren’t afraid to use charm.

•  Keep their eyes on the prize (the clear objective).

•  Don’t take things personally.

•  Know when to call it quits.

•  Rise up and do it all over again.

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