Craftsmanship vs Concept:
You're concept is only as good as your craftsmanship.
How do you expect anyone to "see" your design when all they see is poor construction and misaligned edges and scratches and mistakes? It's the reality of what you are moving into as a profession.
Even on a rainy day, you do not want to show up with your work to present to a client with a drop of rain on it. Period. Your work is you. You show up with a messy set of boards or a CD that doesn't work immediately then you are a goner. There are too many designers out there for a client to put up with poor presentation.
You wouldn't think of going to a client presentation in a tank top, cut offs and flip flops nor do you show up with work that is equal to that. It's sloppy behavior. Your work must have the respect and the dress that you also are expected to have during a presentation to a client. Image is everything. That includes your own image.
Presentation. Presentation. Presentation.
Several things I've learned over the years about giving presentations to clients:
1.Don't arrive tired and out of breathe. It doesn't matter your car broke down or traffic was bad. Get there ahead of time.
2.Don't arrive late. Never. Ever.
3.Be prepared to give your ideas away to the client. You know you conceived them but there is power in giving your thoughtful ideas away especially if you want the client to use you in the future. You are building trust and trust is earned.
4. Bring the client along on your design mission and execution. Include them in the conversation about how you arrived at an idea for them. For instance: "I got this idea from our conversation the last time we talked and you mentioned this..." OR "I was inspired by something you said the last time we talked about this project..."
Clients love this. You are honoring there participation in this design.
Bring the client along. Respect the client. If the client asks you to do something, then do it...don't ignore their participation in your presentation. If your presentation is good then they look good. Good is Great when it comes to making the client respect and trust you. That equals more time with them which in turns means more money in your pocket and more work in the future. I have been in many meetings where the designer comes in to do a presentation and after it's over I've heard my colleagues say "I like how he/she valued our opinion and tried to honor it as best they could while also creating something new out of it. Let's use them."
5.Be able to quickly state (one sentence) what your idea is. Also, be able to quickly convey your idea visually when you are showing the client your boards. No amount of words can convince a client of your visual idea if they "don't see it."
Quick sell. Once they say "yes, let's do it" then you can emphasize the details.
No details to a client. Only the essence of the concept. Lean and mean and clean.
6. Don't talk down to the client. Ever. And if they talk down to you, don't argue.
You don't need to debate the fine art of who is right or wrong or who has a graphic design degree and who doesn't. It doesn't matter. The client is always right...or they at least need to feel they are always right. Again, it's how you include the client into thinking your idea (the one you want to really pitch) is really their idea or a collaboration of both. Hold each in high regard.
7. Don't talk too much. You'll get in trouble. Present your concept to the client and then let them speak. They will ask questions. You will answer them and then be silent.
You are not selling them a used car. You are pitching a concept. Don't mix the issues.
8. If you always do what the client asks you to do then you will have a very long and rewarding career.
9. It doesn't matter how much time you spent on a project nor how much money you spent on preparing something for a client...it is the presentation. Money, Time, Energy, Education,you name it, doesn't matter if the client isn't happy with your idea. Back to the drawing board.
Finally, when you come to class for a critique then your work should speak for itself.
You shouldn't have to explain it. You have every right to defend it but your defense must be built on something other than "I like it." That doesn't hold water. Speak clearly and definitively about why you think your presentation is strong. No apologies.
If you show up with a badly constructed project or set of boards then what it is really communicating is "This person doesn't take their role as a designer seriously." It's a bitter pill to swallow but it is an absolute truth.
Your chosen profession should not be a hobby. Do it because you love doing it and you can't imagine yourself doing anything else. Otherwise you are an Impostor and it will catch up with you and make your life miserable. Life is short. Find something you love and do it. It's that simple.
