If you've never worked with a graphic designer, here are a few tips to help you successfully communicate with them.
Yes. I'm serious. Some people need help when talking to creatives without killing their creativity. Marketing teams and agencies, in particular, have trouble with properly communicating with their creative team, or maybe you just find talking to a graphic designer intimidating.
What Is A Creative?
You may wonder why graphic designers are sometimes referred to as "creatives." A creative is an artist, painter, writer, graphic designer, right-brain person, etc. Creatives create art in whichever way they choose. Their creative work requires dedication and skill.
Keep It Short
Keep creative briefs short, not because creatives don't read or don't understand "business language," they simply don't need all the extra useless information. There is an insulting myth that creatives don't like reading because they're visual people. The brief should be used to inspire the creative, not to bore them.
Speak In Emotions
Speaking with emotions is a good way to communicate with creatives. It can be hard to explain a concept, so it's easier when you express the emotional outcome you want your target market to take away from the work. Do you want them to be sad? Angry? Happy? Do you want the work to be inspiring? What is the ultimate goal? Most importantly, graphic designers need to create an emotional connection with the audience for their work to be successful.
Be Specific
Stay away from using phrases like, "That looks weird" or "Can you make it pop?" Creatives need a little more guidance. You both have different perspectives and these phrases won't be helpful. Instead of just saying you like something, explain what you like or don't like about it. If you have trouble expressing what you want, it could be helpful to share examples of other works with elements you like.
Leave Room for Creativity
Believe it or not, creatives or graphic designers find it really difficult when creating something when given strict guidelines. This strips a graphic designer's creativity and motivation. Graphic designers are problem solvers, but if you give them the solution, they feel like their job is pointless. If you do have specific requirements, explain why. This leads to the next point, which is to trust the graphic designer and their process.
Trust Their Expertise
This is equally important as leaving room for creativity. Graphic designers study color psychology, text personalities, and they research what will be best for your target audience. They might question why you are requesting a certain color or font. Trust that they have a reason behind their color choices and overall design. A designer will most likely have an explanation of why they did everything. Asking questions could help you understand how they view it.
Most importantly, creatives are just people, so talk to them like you would anyone else.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this article. Hopefully, this will help non-creatives understand us a little better. "Can you make it pop?" is definitely a constant thing we get asked that really has no meaning at all.