Design By Committee | How to better work with creatives.
Heard of the saying “Too many cooks in the kitchen”? Well that is what Design by Committee is……essentially. The term ‘Design By Committee’ refers to, usually a creative project, where there are many stakeholders making design decisions on mass and confusing the designers and wasting valuable creative resources on back and forth.
We have put some thoughts together around how you can avoid this but also ways you can make the process easier for your creatives and stakeholders.
We don’t want to tell John from finance how to do his job but he is not a designer and should not be making design decisions. John should be inputting his ideas up front and then letting the design ‘experts’ take the reigns.
This isn’t just about John (although he thinks it is hahaha, sorry John!).
There can be real impacts to the effectiveness of a project or even the ability to get a project finished on time.
The disadvantages to your business when you Design By Committee are:
Slow Decision Making: With so many stakeholders involved, it can be challenging to make decisions quickly and efficiently. And it is a time suck for everyone waiting around for all feedback from all stakeholders
Compromised Design: With everyone providing their two cents, the final design may be compromised to accommodate everyone's preferences, resulting in a weaker design solution. Essentially the feedback should be received a interpreted, no one outside the design team should be advising colour palettes.
Conflicting Opinions: With different stakeholders having different opinions and preferences, it can be challenging to reach a consensus and create a design solution that satisfies everyone.
The solution
So here is a process that works for us when we are working on creative projects with our clients.
Have copy and content 80-90% approved before you head into design. This means all the messaging details have been ironed out right at the beginning.
Have a team structure, make sure you have someone who is collating and approving content, briefing the designers and being the main point of contact. This makes sure comms are streamlined and there are not a million emails for the designer to sift through (this is how stuff falls through the cracks and gets missed).
Schedule regular WIPs, this can help build up trust and also familiarity within the team, which always makes for a better work environment.
Have the project mapped out with roles and responsibilities so everyone understands when they are needed in the process and that point of contact makes everyone accountable for their role.
Clarify, ask questions, send screenshots. Do whatever it takes to show your POV. Because when we are working with visual elements and people who are not designers, sometimes they just need to understand why something can’t be done :)
In summary
Creative projects and working with a design team, if done right is a dream! You will get some of the best results if you apply this process. I would always recommend engaging a designer or agency, as after all they are the experts (thanks again John!)
If you would like anymore information on how to streamline your internal processes when it comes to engaging a design agency, book a call with Our Founder, Carlie today!