While we’re airing our grievances, what do you people have against the Design Help section of this website? It never did anything to you, but you treat it like a second-class citizen. Don’t you need help? Design help? Between you and me, I think Design Help’s feelings are hurt. I think we can all say sayonara to Design Help if something doesn’t change pretty soon.
Oh. Well, yeah, I see what you mean. Sharing unfinished work with the other designers in your department is one thing; putting it on the web for all to see—including, God forbid, your clients—is quite another. Imagine if an author found the site and saw a version of her cover that I’d scrapped. Maybe she loves it. Maybe now she’s mad at her editor—who rejected the cover, who works in my office, and who’s now mad at me. Maybe I take someone’s advice on a design and it results in a beautiful book. Can I take credit for it? Can I enter it in a juried show? Methinks not, but what about you? What’s your policy on sharing unfinished work—on the web or elsewhere? Ideas welcome on how Speak Up might play a role, if you think it’s possible. Or desirable.
As a solo freelancer, it definitely helps to run work by others on occasion. But I'm hesitant to post something for all to see. First and foremost, there's a level of confidentiality between a client and designer that should not be taken lightly. It's one thing to post, "hey, I'm working on a new identity for a software company." It's quite another to throw up 3 potential designs with names for the entire web to see, with no guarantee that the client or a competitor or their best friend won't stumble upon it.
Secondly, I would have to fully explain the project or responses would be surface-level at best. A detailed design brief would need to be included so respondents could have a strategy with which to base their opinions.
What it really comes down to, in truth, is that there are certain people I trust for their design opinions and those are the people I go to for second opinions or added ideas when I hit a sticking point. I'm comfortable enough in my own abilities that I don't need or want to open up my process to everyone. That may seem egotistical or snobbish; I guess I'll just have to deal with it. I doubt I'm the only one who feels like this or some work would have been posted by now.
I'm happy to share something once it's finished. Then I don't care so much if everyone hates it. Maybe that's a more viable existence for the Design Help section. Somebody could share the process of the project, from brief through initial sketches to the presented concepts and the chosen and final outcome.
On May.14.2003 at 05:27 PM