what do you mean, 'what is kerning?'

August 1, 2015 12:08 AM

Designers: how do you collaborate, especially when you're at different skill levels / when one designer notices details, and the other doesn't?

I'm working on a project, effectively project managing it. It's a high-profile exhibition piece, that I was invited to participate in, and I'm bringing the efforts of an ongoing loose collaborative into the fold, with people in a few different disciplines getting together. Someone offered their services as a graphic designer, so I'm working with them on the project. I'm not formally trained as a graphic designer, but am in a very related field, have done a lot of graphic/layout design, and am happy sketching, playing in illustrator/indesign, going through a whole printing workflow, have printed numerous posters, etc.

The problem: the graphic designer is ... not that great. I don't mean our graphic sensibilities are at a mismatch - that'd be fine, even fun.

I mean: they designed a logo, and the letters are very badly kerned. The arrowheads on a diagram are asymmetrical and misshapen. The letters are slightly different sizes. There isn't enough white space for text. I think they don't have an eye for the details yet, which is really difficult, as I don't even know how to start a conversation.

I have enough capacity/skills/time that I could take over and complete the graphic part of things myself without any help.

This person is a new acquaintance. I'm normally pretty non-judgmental, but I really really don't want this person's poor attention to detail to affect the project. It's a collaborative project, not a work project, so I don't feel I can sharply cut them off. Part of me wonders: if the collaboration results in a poorly designed result, mayyyybe that's just the trade off of collaborating? At the same time, I can't stand bad design and think I should just be honest and tell them about all the details that are wrong.

In other collaborative contexts, I'm familiar enough with collaborators to be bluntly honest, but in this case, I'm not sure what to do. It doesn't help that I'm not formally the project manager either, just kind of fell into it , as the invitation was initially extended to me.

I've learned my lesson that having clear structures is helpful, but for now, not sure what to do. Designers working in a similar context - what would you do?

posted by suedehead to Human Relations (10 answers total)

How many collaborators are there?
posted by jbenben at 12:19 AM on August 1, 2015

Design manager here.

You're the project manager, not the designer.

"Hey designer, before I overstep any boundaries, and I know everyone has an opinion about design, I was wondering if you'd be open to my giving you some feedback on the logo."

"No thanks" = oh well, not your problem, let it go.

"Sure" = invitation

then release the hounds
posted by Señor Pantalones at 1:08 AM on August 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

You may have little choice than to just suggest specific improvements to the designer.

As the big boss project manager, you are effectively the art director, and it is you who decides if the design elements are appropriate and on point.
posted by artdrectr at 1:12 AM on August 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I'm guessing this is all pro bono/volunteer work right? Because if money was exchanging hands, you would have fired this person already, correct?

Since you actually care about this project, it sounds like you've got two choices:
A - Art direct this person until the work is acceptable
B - Thank this person sincerely for their help and let them know you won't need them any further

Choose A if you believe you can get good enough work out of them, and the time it would take you to manage them is within budget.

Choose B if not. (In my opinion, this should be the default choice.)

You're choosing either to expend effort managing your resource, or doing the work yourself. Doing the former will (perhaps) make your designer better, with the (high) risk that the work will not be good enough. Doing the latter more or less guarantees you good work, on time. The question you should ask yourself: is keeping this person on more important than the success of the project?
posted by danny the boy at 1:29 AM on August 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you choose to offer suggestions, I would use the sandwich technique (I have a design degree and first started out as an art director, so I have years of experience dancing around delicate creatives when I give feedback, being one myself.) The sandwich technique goes thusly; positive observation about the piece, creative suggestion you actually want to offer; end with another positive observation. So your suggestion is sandwiched between two positive things, they don't feel negatively targeted and are more likely to take it on board. Here's an example;

"Hey Brenda, I was just checking out your logo. I really like how the tree's leaves make the shape of a face, it speaks to the environmental aspect of what we do. It works really well as a cohesive symbol. I think if you just bought that 'r' and letter 't' a smidge closer together and tighten up that space between the foo and the blee, it'll pull it together even more. That little scroll you've put underneath is also a nice tidy way of finishing it up without overpowering the design, I think the client will be really pleased with how it's come along. Great job!

Give it a shot. Generally the designer walks away feeling pretty good about themselves and much more open to suggestion.
posted by Jubey at 2:53 AM on August 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm a relatively green graphic designer, and I would absolutely want to know if I was making such obvious, amateur mistakes. I would prefer the criticism to be as diplomatic as possible, and to be honest I'd probably cry in the bathroom a little, but I would still want to know.
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:25 AM on August 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

You refer to yourself as the project manager, but if you're also the de facto creative director (of this portion of the project, at least), it's well within your right to say:

Hey [designer],
This is a great first pass. Can you [adjust the kerning of these letters, make these design elements symmetrical, add more white space here, etc. etc.]? Thanks!

You don't need to sugarcoat it, just be specific. Professional critique is not personal criticism. If this person is selling themselves as a designer, they need to be able to take feedback like one.
posted by cosmic osmo at 4:12 AM on August 1, 2015 [19 favorites]

Adding to what everyone else said -- a person who cannot take professional, constructive of their work is not someone you want to work with. Execution is an equally valid target for critique as concept.
posted by nathan_teske at 7:37 AM on August 1, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Ultimately danny the boy had the perspective I needed.

I suppose I was also asking not so much about how to offer feedback (I teach and sit on design reviews, and am all too familiar with the sandwich technique), but rather -- how to direct a collaborator or team member towards a directed result. The former can be sometimes overly too gentle. The latter fixes a desired end goal as a result, and asks people to work towards it.

I don't think I've seen healthy, strong models for which the latter happens (in design). I've seen 1) a commandeering, almost control-freak team leader guide team members towards his/her vision, 2) a conflict-averse project manager who never give criticism but instead have other people work on each others' work without them knowing it, or 3) a happy-go-lucky person who accepted everyone's work as-is but had a horrible product at the end. Which is why, in this case, I'm trying to pursue another method.

Anyhow. Thanks everyone!
posted by suedehead at 2:24 AM on August 2, 2015

What you're asking for is totally the norm in design, but only when the expectations are set from the beginning about the nature of the working relationship. (All professional designers expect critiques. It is invariably how we were taught in school, and how we work in our careers.)

Like, if you are the creative director, and they are your designer, the implicit expectation is that you have experience they don't, will direct them to a good product, and this direction makes them a better designer.

If you're the client, and they are your freelancer, the explicit expectation is that they satisfy the scope of work or forfeit payment.

But it sounds like there was an undefined relationship from the start, so you were neither of the above--and weren't comfortable shifting into a more assertive role than you started out in. Honestly, I haven't figured out how to reset expectations once an engagement is underway, either. It's really tough.
posted by danny the boy at 10:14 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]