The Divide: Bridging the Gap
The ideal world doesn't exist...
The ideal world doesn't exist, but we can strive to make our professional relationships better. Designers and clients often find themselves on opposite sides of a looking glass, each peering into unique worlds governed by different laws and rules. This metaphorical divide creates a gap in understanding and collaboration.
Every person has a distinct vision of how things should fit together. These visions, at their core, are deeply personal and often lead us to believe we own our ideas. This sense of ownership can widen the gap between designers and clients, creating unnecessary friction.
From my personal experience and analysis, the underlying issue in this relationship is that people often stray from what they know best, especially during the creative process. They try to impose opinions outside their expertise, a mistake that ultimately affects the quality of the final product.
Let's forget about vanity and think about the real goals. The primary objective for both designers and clients should be a successful project and a happy end user. This shared purpose can help align our efforts and bridge the divide.
I don't support the stereotypical notion that clients are inherently difficult or that designers are universally arrogant. The truth is never simple or one-sided. While it's easy to joke about difficult clients, especially in the consequence-free zone of the internet, the reality is that both sides share responsibility for the relationship's success or failure.
In the ongoing struggle between clients and designers, where everyone is trying to be creative, we often overlook the most crucial element of any project: the end user. Without users, there would be no need for stakeholders, clients, managers, or designers.
If you become too absorbed in your own vision, whether you're a designer or a client, you risk creating work that doesn't serve its intended purpose. This can lead to feature bloat, unnecessary stress, and unhappy team members.
We all make mistakes. What's important is to remain humble, work hard, learn from these missteps, and evolve. When faced with a dilemma, put your knowledge at the service of those for whom you're really working – not the client, but the user!
Remember, it's not just about the paycheck or ending daily dealings with the client. What truly matters is the sense of fulfillment, joy, and growth that comes after a successful project – and the new opportunities it brings.
The product should always be built around the user and their needs. Do what you know best when it comes to design. While team members and clients are free to offer advice and suggestions, it's often unnecessary for them to try to be creative in areas outside their expertise.
Let designers be creative. Let clients make business decisions. Let the final product be the result of good collaboration, not a compromise born of someone's vanity.
I'm not saying design isn't a collaborative effort. It absolutely is. But we must be aware of our natural tendency towards vanity. Everyone likes to have an opinion, even when it doesn't contribute to solving the problem at hand. This is a common pitfall we must actively avoid.
Respect your co-workers, listen to their arguments, and acknowledge their opinions as if they were your own. But always keep the end user in mind – this will guide you towards the right decisions.
Perhaps this all seems too idealistic. But I believe that our professional world can be a better place if we work on improving our mutual relationships. Let's commit to bridging the gap between designers and clients, focusing on our shared goal of creating value for users.
What steps will you take to improve your next designer-client collaboration?
Written in June 2017; revised in August 2024.