Responsibilities of the Design Client/Employer June 17, 2009, by Chris Pelicano, Peter Mirus in Design
The graphic designer has his own set of responsibilities in pursuing your design work: see here for the relevant post. Fair is fair! Clients should read that post as well, just as the designer should read this post.
Commercial graphic design is a coordinated process of mutual responsibilities between the client/employer and the graphic designer. This post is intended to be orienting, not comprehensive. However, if the following general principles are observed within projects, you increase the likelihood of getting a superlative design solution in the final product.
As a client or employer of a graphic designer, it is important that you think carefully about the work that you will be requesting – above all, what the pieces are to accomplish.
Essential content and functionality of the communications pieces to be designed is primarily the job of the client. Clients that concentrate on providing content are supplying the soil in which the designer can grow creative solutions. Let your designer help you to qualify your content as you gather it…not everything on your wish list needs to go into the communication piece. The first and last responsibility for determining whether the intent of the project is represented in the applied solution (or design) is the responsibility of the client.
The responsibility of the client (or employer) starts with the wise selection of a graphic designer and then the placement of their trust in that individual. Indications of good a graphic designer are: portfolio, pricing, and whether or not he/she displays an insatiable desire to understand not just design concepts but also the need or intent behind a particular proposed project.
It is also the responsibility of the client, with the designer’s assistance, to understand what may and may not be able to be accomplished within the budget and timeframe designated for a particular project.
Many commercial graphic design projects belong to a certain genre (website, business card, print advertising, etc.) all have certain conventions that must be observed. The lower the budget and the shorter the timeline, the greater the odds that you will get a piece that honors convention more than inspiration. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that.
It is also the responsibility of the client/employer to know the intended audience for the design piece, and to tangibly communicate that information to the designer.
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.