pikemurdy

“Trustworthy” is a word that gets thrown about with little care these days. I recently read an article titled Building trust is the key to promoting your organisation online.

It’s the typical marketing/SEO/Let’s-do-some-business tripe that crosses the internet constantly. To be clear, there is nothing specifically dangerous that is mentioned in the article. It’s the vacuous ‘sentiments’ masquerading as business help that I find annoying.

For example, one tip for success mentioned is to use “quality photography”. There is not a thing wrong with this advice. Indeed, it’s good advice. At least it’s good advice in the same way “Don’t wear sweat pants to work” is good advice. It’s obvious. It’s so obvious that it need not be stated.

Keep your website fresh. Get your copy right. Treat your customers well. All good advice.

Other advice is just odd, “Include an About Page”. Again, there’s nothing wrong with this. Sure, include one, I have one too.

Allow me to give a bit of my own very, very obvious piece of advice: The internet is fast. Attention spans are short. You have (anecdotally) about two seconds to capture a user’s attention. The user should know what your site is about, and by extension what you are about on the entry page. If they have to go looking for an about page, you’ve lost them. Keep it, sure. But don’t expect it to build trust for you.

The problem with these sorts of articles is that they offer advice that is tied up in neat, pretty packages. They’re the self-help business books of the internet. You can’t really argue with them because they’re not really saying anything.

Sometime in 1997 or 98 I clicked an icon that looked like an eye. I was a still a student. It was the first time I opened Adobe Photoshop. The software was amazing to me. I don’t remember which version it was, either 3 or 4, but I remember being simply amazed by the fact that I could adjust the contrast of a photo without going to a darkroom.

A short time afterward, I changed my major from Mathematics to Art. After that, I concentrated on graphic design. Nearly instantly two companies dominated my computing world: Apple and Adobe. Apple made the hardware tools. Adobe made the software tools.

Apple produced crap. Adobe produced gold. I was not well versed in computer history. I knew who Bill Gates was at the time, but I don’t recall knowing who Steve Jobs was.

Since 1997 (or was it 98?) my attitude about the two companies has reversed. At the time, I didn’t give Apple too many more years to live. I knew that Adobe was a company with its sights firmly set on the future.

I recall being very, very excited about everything Adobe did.

Times change.

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Looking at blogs and technology sites, you wouldn’t guess this: but graphic designers rarely spring for the latest software. It’s expensive, and rarely does it make a significant impact on workflow and efficiency. Most of us are concerned more with what helps us create, not what is shiny and new.

In late 2003, I acquired Adobe CS (Creative Suite 1). This was a rare thing. Brand new software. State-of-the-art software.

I recall being very, very excited about it. New features. Faster. Shiny.

Not long after version CS2 was released. After that, Adobe bought a company called Macromedia (who made Flash). When CS3 was released, the company I worked for purchased it, but it was mostly out of compatibility issues (and Quark seemed less and less like the horse to ride).

I’ve not been excited about any version of any Adobe product since Creative Suite 1.

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One fellow from Knoxville, Tennessee being not “excited” about a product is hardly enough for a company such as Adobe to be worried about. But CS1 came out in 2003, and I’ve not been optimistic about anything Adobe has done for eight years.

I don’t get excited about new Adobe products, I get worried about new Adobe products. With each upgrade more features are added. Usually features that do not help me. With the passage of time alternative products start to replace the bloated, expensive software that Adobe produces.

Graphic Design is not there yet.

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Now I get excited about new Apple products. I worry about Adobe products and wonder how much longer they have left.

Adobe recently stopped production on its mobile version of Flash. To me, this seems like a step in the right direction. They also seem to be throwing their weight towards open standards, creating products like Edge.

Flash crashes constantly. Photoshop is a bloated mess. Dreamweaver is… Dreamweaver. But lets not give up on Adobe yet. This is the company that created Postscript. There may be some awesome to come. Hopefully, Adobe is just going through some growing pains, the same as Apple did in the nineties.

Lets hope.

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I’ve recently heard—and had—conversations on the subject of “P.C. versus Apple”. If you know me, you know I’m firmly in the Apple camp. This is mostly because I prefer the Mac OSX operating system. But also I do like the way Apple computers are built and designed. Sure, you can get a plastic laptop for $500, but it will not be nearly as tough as a machined aluminum MacBook Pro. On any $500 laptop the keys will undoubtedly be chintzy and the hinge will probably squeak and bow as you open it.

Perhaps more frivolously, Apple products are sleek and pretty. I like the way they look.

But there is one area that Apple is soundly defeated in the P.C. versus Apple argument: variety. If you are looking for a lot of choices, Apple is not your company. For example, there are currently two Apple laptop lines, the Air and the Pro. There are a couple of tiers within each of these lines, but that’s it. If you want an Apple laptop, those are your choices. You have two choices.

There are people (smart people) out there who seem to simply hate Apple and all of its products. Despite shouts about pricing or just being “too designy” I think many computer buyers get frustrated at how few options Apple offers. Add to that, with the exception of the Mac Pro, most of Apple’s computers are somewhat limited in their configurability (when you buy a MacBook Air, you don’t get to choose the WIFI card).

Of course, this lack of variety isn’t hurting Apple. They have clearly differentiated themselves, even on the product line strategy. And being different is helping them.

When shopping for a P.C., it becomes obvious is how confusing it is to buy a computer. Dell’s homepage asks if you will be using the computer at home, work, public sector or large enterprise.

Here is how Peter Bright, writing for Ars Technica, explains shopping at Dell.com:

It’s even worse if I just browse without searching. The options I get are just… meaningless. Yes, I want “Everyday Computing,” so I want an Inspiron. But hang on, I also want “Design & Performance,” so I want an XPS. Wait a second, I want “Thin & Powerful,” too. So maybe I want a Z Series? But the only line that apparently matches my broad search criteria — lightweight, 11-14” — I wouldn’t even consider because I don’t want a “gaming” laptop, and so I’m never going to click Alienware!

I used to use a Dell as my primary computer (back in the days of Windows 98 versus Mac System 8), and I enjoyed tinkering with it. Over the three years or so that I owned it, I upgraded the video card. I upgraded the hard drive twice. I eventually added a CD burner. And I really enjoyed tinkering with the computer guts. I learned quite a bit about computers in the process.

But over the years, I’ve let that go. Really, I had to let it go. I no longer really have time, nor the inclination, to be unendingly modifying my work station. On a typical day I may be color correcting photos, editing videos, writing HTML & CSS or doing layout in an InDesign file.

These days, tweaking or modifying my computer is downtime. It’s lost time. It’s lost money. And it’s frustrating. My computer strategy these days is simple: buy a top-of-the-line computer, max it out in terms of hard drive space and RAM, and use it as long as possible. Sure, I miss tinkering with computer guts, but I can get over it because tinkering with computer guts doesn’t help me get anything done.

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Ars Technica link via Daring Fireball.

A lot of businesses from time to time need to employ the services of a designer. Perhaps a new website is needed, maybe a new company brochure or even identity. The sticky process of designing the new product begins and oft times there is some awkward fumbling during the process.

There is a lot of information around about the nature of design, what the approach is like and what to look out for in contracts, etc. Like any business to business relationship, there are many chances for a break down. In my years of experience as a designer I find that the most frequent breakdown point is communication.

I’ve worked hard at learning how to better communicate with clients, and admit that there is still a lot for me to learn. However there are a few points that often occur. To give a little advice on avoiding these situations, I thought I would give a few tips on how to communicate with your designer and hopefully make the entire process smoother..

Disassociate yourself with your opinion.

It’s hard lesson for many clients to learn, especially since the client is the paying entity in the party: but the client’s opinion isn’t the most important factor in any design project. You’ve hired a designer to help your business. You’re not decorating your house.

Design is not art, design is a business tool and should not be looked at subjectively.  Do you hate purple? It doesn’t matter. Purple may very well be perfect for your cloth diaper store. Do you hate Helvetica? It doesn’t matter. Helvetica may very well be perfect for your line of Swiss furniture. A good designer doesn’t force his or her opinion on you. A good designer makes well informed decisions based on what he or she thinks your audience will respond to and will in turn benefit your business. Another way of putting it: don’t ask yourself “Do I like this?”, ask yourself “Is this the right direction for my business?”

If your opinion cannot be disassociated, I understand.

Everyone has opinions (even me). Sometimes a person can simply not get past “purple”. This happens. It’s frustrating to a designer, but it happens. Don’t lead with your opinion. Don’t say that you “hate purple”. Say why. In fact, “Why” is the most important thing you can communicate.

There are no stupid questions

Designers are generally generous folks. They rarely protect trade secrets. Usually if you ask a question, you’ll get an answer. If you’re not sure how you feel about the design being presented, ask the designer why it was done that way. There may be a valid reason for it that is not readily apparent.

Don’t be afraid of hurting feelings.

Many times a client sees a presentation and is impressed, yet something’s not right. Rather than stating their unease, they give approval and production commences. Only after the project is about to be launched do they speak up. This is a nightmare for a designer. Lots of work has been done, not only in vain but also on the client’s paycheck. Budgets are blown and meetings must be had. Never spare a designer’s feelings in the beginning. It’s best to let your feelings known early, rather than late.

Don’t expect everyone on your team to be happy.

This is probably the number one reason a project goes bad. It happens time and time again. An example: Your business partner wants a conservative, old-style look to your new logo while the sales department thinks a flashy, trendy logo. There is not a way to compromise. A compromise will make neither person happy and will possibly ruin the project. Bringing your designer into a internal debate within your company will also not help the situation. In all likelihood, It will make things worse.

This is the time for a project leader to look at the pros and cons of each approach—possibly after consulting the designer—and make a firm decision. Either your business partner or the sales department will simply have to be unhappy.

This article is not an attempt to be arrogant and gripe about bad client behavior. Not in the least. Rather it is meant to helpful to anyone thinking of hiring a designer. And it certainly isn’t a comprehensive guide to giving feedback. But I hope it helps make your project go smoother.

Good luck.