HOW It's Done:

Observations from the 2007 HOW Design Conference

What’s on the minds of some of the nation’s top designers? And how do their concerns translate into ideas, solutions and practices for clients? see see eye Graphic Designer Gillian Mauldin and see see eye Senior Production Coordinator Amy Leburn attended the annual 2007 HOW Design Conference, held in Atlanta in June. Among their observations? An abundant Web presence, taking creative risks and establishing client/designer relationships built on trust are of primary importance. Terry Davis, president of see see eye, conducted the interview.

What were your first impressions of the HOW Conference?

Amy: The HOW Conference was a great way for us to see the portfolios of top-notch designers from around the U.S. The sessions were informative and really helped us refresh ourselves.

What sessions in particular were memorable and why?

Amy: The message I kept hearing over and over again throughout the conference was “Web, web, web.” Anything a firm can do to make sure it will be found repeatedly on the Internet is a good thing – from designing a Web site that is functional, appealing and informative to putting short films and blogs on the Internet. It’s where people go for information and a firm trying to get noticed should be all over it. Even silly things – a funny short film on someone’s Web site: “How to Wash Your Keyboard” was one example – get noticed and linked to.

Gillian: One of the presenters I heard kept encouraging designers to follow their interests and passions. A failed idea can turn into something lucrative if you have enough interest and desire to keep it going. One design agency, for instance, made it a goal to obtain 50% of their revenues from their own products.

Amy: Yes, definitely the message I heard was that designers shouldn’t be afraid to take risks.

How does risk taking translate into something better for the client?

Amy: Certainly there was a lot of discussion around the question, “How do we get clients to take a chance on us for something new?” For example, Shelley Armstrong, art director at The Studio – Microsoft’s in-house design group – talked about how her Microsoft colleagues often bypassed her design group in favor of working with outside design agencies. Various internal customers at Microsoft were concerned that the in-house design agency didn’t have experience with this or that project and were afraid to take a chance with the in-house designers. By being persistent and proactively presenting designs on projects that they had not yet been awarded, The Studio was ultimately able to convince its internal Microsoft customers to take a chance on them. The results were highly successful.

How were they able to do that?

Amy: It’s tied to something another presenter emphasized. He said that the thing designers sell is trust – not over-promising or under-promising. You form long-term relationships by recognizing your strengths and by being honest about what you can do and what is outside your range.

Gillian: It also involves selling an emotion versus focusing on the actual product. This is something we do at see see eye. There is a lot of really great creative out there. But clients want more than good creative. They want a good relationship, someone who will listen to them, someone they can rely on. These are the attributes that need to be stressed when you want a client to take a risk or try you out for something new.

What other tips were meaningful to you?

Amy: Presenters at the conference also focused on the importance of telling the client’s story authentically. Design has to be focused on helping a client tell their story well, not just looking good.

Gillian: For example, Sharon Werner with Werner Design Werks talked about the design her studio developed for Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day aromatherapeutic cleaning products. Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products have a great brand based in the personality of Mrs. Thelma Meyer – the mother of the woman who founded the cleaning product company. The brand itself is simple, no-nonsense and focuses on natural products that are fresh, environmentally sensitive and smell great.  The design studio maintained that honest voice of Mrs. Meyer and developed a great personality for the product line.

Anything else?

Amy: Yes, I liked the suggestion that designers keep sketchpads with them at all times and get into the habit of drawing. It keeps your mind fresh and allows you to capture ideas. Designers also have to be sure to feed their creativity by surfing the Web, getting out of the office, going to concerts – just keeping your creative mind and juices flowing as much as possible.

Gillian: Along those lines, the presenters stressed over and over again the importance of replenishing yourself so that you can give your best work to your clients. Working into the wee hours doesn’t necessarily advance a project because you’re feeling tired and slow. It’s better to refresh and return to a project fully energized. There was also discussion about making sure that your design firm has proper processes in place to facilitate efficient and effective design development, something I have observed we do well at see see eye.

Thank you both.