Communicating the Value of Design

At this year’s In-Howse Design Conference, there was one theme that really struck a cord with me, one that I think we have trouble with from time to time here at Solid Cactus, communicating the value of design to our clients. The issue was touched on in a number of conference sessions, most notably those conducted by Peter L Phillips. The problem is that we have a lot of clients that come to us with a list of requests that are purely superficial. If someone wants this a lighter shade of green, and that bolder – that’s fine as long as there is a logical reason for it. However, the reasoning behind such revisions and requests is far too frequently the client’s personal preference. The goal here should be to design a website that builds trust, fits in with any current branding and marketing that exists, presents all information in a logical, useful way, and ultimately helps the client sell more products, not to match the orange flames on their ‘79 camaro.

I think that the root of this problem is that concept of design or in our case, e-commerce design tends to be misunderstood by clients. The misconception is that design is art. The truth is that design is a problem solving discipline. Clients come to us with a problem. Maybe they are a store that wants to start selling online a need a website, maybe they are a company that has 10+ years of experience in e-commerce and want to revamp their flagship store to appeal to a younger target market, maybe they are a small niche market site that needs some work done to resolve navigation issues. Whatever the case may be, we give them a visual solution to their problem. A designer’s job is not just to make something look good. We will make websites look professional, convey a certain feeling and fit with their branding, but this is a by-product of our solution. If a site we designed has the exact color pink our client wants, but doesn’t increase their sales at all, we have failed.

The key is to define and to help clients understand the business role of design. We don’t work for them, we work with them as a strategic partner. We have their best interest in mind with every decision made throughout the design of the site. Art is self expression, but a good design is a business solution developed through research and critical thinking. Art is self gratifying, but designs are created to be accessible to the user. The bottom line: a good design will make the client more money. </rant>

here are a few articles that touch on the subject in one way or another:
http://www.andybudd.com/archives/2003/08/the_value_of_design/
http://www.ahfx.net/weblog.php?article=89
http://www.positivespaceblog.com/archives/why-giving-clients-what-they-want-is-a-bad-idea/#more-311
http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/design/how-to-think-like-a-client
http://www.andyrutledge.com/creativediscovery.php
http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/05/22/why-logo-design-does-not-cost-5-dollars/