Communication and the Multi-Tool Designer

In-house designers have the manifold task of dealing with not only developing and implementing solutions to their projects, but also need to be able to communicate these solutions in a way that speaks not only to the problem but to the expectations of their managers…

In-house designers have the manifold task of dealing with not only developing and implementing solutions to their projects, but also need to be able to communicate these solutions in a way that speaks not only to the problem but to the expectations of their managers.

Designers Often Need to Multi-Task

In-house designers have to act as project managers, art directors, marketing managers, production designers, and traffic managers (and sometimes IT staff) at any given time during the day. In all of these roles, the key to success is communication: keeping strong lines of communication open with all the people you work with means that little should fall by the wayside during any given project.

The absolute cornerstone of successful relationships — business and otherwise — is good communication… Nowhere is this attribute more mission-critical than design, where a professional must not only communicate well to sell their services, but has to sell services fundamentally rooted in communication.
— from Building Blocks of In-House Success by Kevin Potts

As project and marketing managers, in-house designers are expected to develop a strong understanding of the needs of the client — usually a part or the whole of the company, depending on the size of the organization. Creatives need to develop strong relationships with their clients and find ways to get all the information they need from those individuals, who often have a “feeling” or sense of their needs but may have difficulty expressing it completely. Creatives need to be like sleuths sometimes, seeking out the truth buried under mounds of short, unconstructive speak like “jazz it up a little” and “something’s not right with that.” Ask pointed questions to help your client further develop their thoughts. Many times, the corporate type has an idea in mind and can’t find the right way articulate her thoughts.

In the art director/designer role, in-house creatives need to be able to transform those marketing discussions into solutions which follow closely to the original intent of the project while maintaining a consistent look-and-feel and communicating the message the client requires. Often this requires the creative to think “outside the box” of their corporate design structure while creating a product that falls well within the limits of that very structure. Though this sounds as maddening as a Rubik’s Cube, it’s an everyday problem and needs to be solved. In a world where it’s often difficult, due to time constraints, to produce multiple options, it helps to do just that until a strong level communication is developed between the creative and the corporate client.

Finally, as production designer and traffic manager the in-house creative responsible for executing the project so that it’s not only printable, to paper or online, but it looks good and is manageable in the future. In-house designers need to be able to communicate with their clients in house and with vendors outside. Knowing common printing techniques, understanding how the web and PowerPoint work, knowing how to do prepress and troubleshoot cross-platform presentations all fall under the expectations of the client for their designers so in-house creatives need to stay current with new trends and techniques. Online forums, magazines, and other creatives are all great sources of information so the in-house designer needs to be able to communicate their own needs to the outside world to find the right answers to their dilemmas.

With all the responsibility in-house designers carry, the best way to be successful is to communicate with the client and the outside world. Many times, listening to your manager closely will provide the tools needed to come up with strong solutions. Finding those answers can mean hunting through the tangled forests of a client’s thoughts or spending time online or in a bookstore to discover the needed answer.

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