RegardingDesign

Welcome back to high school.

“Many clients like to see that the creative people they’re working with have received recognition by other entities. Credibility comes from having other recognizable clients, but it also comes in the form of awards. It’s a good idea to enter design competitions. Many clients view these awards as a kind of honor roll that proves you know what you’re doing. With this kind of recognition, you will be able to begin building a great network and attracting more clients.”
- Seth Cheeks, CheekyDSN

Sad but true, it’s just like high school out here sometimes – once the “cool” kids give you their stamp of approval, everyone else decides they can like you too. How many times has the simple kiss of a pretty girl turned a frog into a prince? Winning some awards is like getting that coveted smooch. The other story line in this fairy tale is that everyone likes to feel that they’ve discovered the next hip thing. And that may be you. A client who thinks he or she has been smart enough to find you before you were recognized will be happy to brag about you (and by association, themselves) once you’ve gotten some awards. Once they tell their friends, these folks might become your clients.

Einstein? I’d rather be McGuyver.

A few weeks ago I was in Austin TX for the ‘09 iteration of the fantastic HOW Design Conference. As usual, partaking of sessions and info was the order of the day but my “jonez” always leads me to what happens in between sessions. The buzz, the chatter, the communication. At the last minute the planning committee asked me to be part of a panel discussion about the current state of creative careers in light of economic struggles. I was honored, but quickly made it known that innovation often comes from leaner times.

If it’s true what’s said about necessity, then we are driven to invent, but invention need not be fantastical or always scientific. Most of the most beautiful inventive thought is practical. That’s what I strive to be. I want to be a practical genius. I want to embrace the adversity of lower budgets and smaller clients who need and deserve big ideas. Not grandiose ideas—just big, workable, practical genius ideas.

I use myself as the first best example of my plan. As I lay sprawled out on the 4th floor of the convention center with a bag from Kinkos containing fronts and backs of my business cards, a can of Super77 and a box cutter (because Kinkos didn’t carry XACTOs), I thought to myself, “Man, this is McGuyver-ish!” I had run out of business cards and needed more for the week to come. With no other alternative in sight, I got inventive from the standpoint of necessity. Nothing so Einstein genius about it. More like a super practical McGuyver move with a spark plug, a roll of duct tape and a Jay-Z CD. (what?!)

Point being, with money, budgets, excess and an often stereotypical high-brow approach to creative work, we forget to be practical geniuses. We forget to stretch the mind-muscle, not for lofty glorious aims, but more for rubber-meets-road work that may be down-and-dirty but gets the task done. So for those who got a business card from me last week… now you know. But don’t tell anyone else. ;)

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Must have been an inside job.

“When I told my boss I was going to start freelancing for the parent company of the place I was working for, she said, ‘That’s not a problem. Why are you even telling me?’ I replied, ‘Because these situations can become a problem when people find out about it later, especially if I didn’t tell anyone.’ The point is to be sure to know the policies of the place you work for before you start freelancing. Some may not only allow freelancing, but might also let you use their equipment and send emails and conduct outside business during your lunch hour. But if they don’t, then you shouldn’t.” -Donovan Beery, Eleven19 Communications, Inc.

Many designers start their freelance careers while working as a staff person. Knowing the financial, personal, and creative risks inherent in leaping out into the void, you may be tempted to take on a project here and there and utilize the vast resources of your employer. After all, why make a trip to Kinko’s when there’s that great laser printer just down the hall? Well, if your employer catches you running out page after page of full, four-color printouts for some client that’s not on their roster, you might find yourself out on your butt and behind the counter at Kinko’s. Your boss, more than anyone, knows just how much time, energy, resources, and attention it takes to start your own freelance career – after all, he or she probably started that way themselves. While they might appreciate your need and desire to have creative outlets beyond the current client list, and they may think that letting you do the occasional freelance gig is a good way to keep you fresh and interested in that current client list, you have to always remember that until you leave the party, it’s a good idea to dance with the one who brought you there.