So, you think you know how to buy graphic design? Part 5: deadlines.
Posted on 26. Jun, 2008 by Ken Davidson in Promotion
At its most basic, a deadline should be set and not left fluid. Try to set something that doesn’t place undue pressure on the designer (thereby risking an unsatisfactory job) but also doesn’t reach so far ahead that work won’t start more-or-less immediately.
Most designers can sniff an artificially-tight deadline. Lying about a completion date does not promote trust, or offer fertile ground for a long-term relationship. There’s nothing wrong with building in a contingency of a few days or so (depending on the scale of the project) – that’s mere common sense and prudence – but pressurising a supplier beyond their ability to work accurately and correctly is counterproductive.
Likewise, some designers will try to blag too much time to complete a project, sucking breath like a plumber asked to work first thing on a Monday morning! If you suspect that this is happening to you, simply ask the designer to offer a better deadline, or use a designer who can help in the allotted time. There’s no sense in treading on eggshells with this matter – whether we like it or not, lack of planning and setbacks may have already conspired to remove any latitude. Better luck next time, and place your trust in the graphic designer. As a profession, we usually pull out all the stops when asked nicely!
However, in practise you and your designer should set deadlines, not just a deadline. By scheduling strategic watersheds in the design process you will better control the end result. Unless the job is really simple, you should set a review date for consultation of the design(s). Consultation sessions (whether in person, via email, or video conferencing, or even courier and telephone!) should be repeated as often as required to help the correct design be achieved as soon as possible. Envisage this process as ongoing course corrections for an airliner. The sessions needn’t be time consuming, perhaps even just a few minutes each. They’ll let you know if the designer is performing to expectations, and help the designer make better use of their time (which you are paying for!).
If necessary you and the designer can agree that each session be ‘signed off’ as complete. In this way you get a legally-binding set of key markers that define the track of the project. The designer gets official endorsement of their work-to-date, ensuring that they have documentary proof of your satisfaction. You get a clear track of progress which, for example, can be useful when reporting to superiors or committees.
Next time: the final part of this sequence, The Process.
(Those of you with qualifications in process management may be disappointed…)
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