We’re Commercial Artists, Not Fine Artists
I stole this concept from my business partner Shawn Davis. It is really a fantastic way of distilling how we feel about the true objective of a design firm. This is a topic Shawn should’ve blogged about on his nearly empty blog biggreenape.com, perhaps he can expand on what I have said when he gets the time.
The statement we’re commercial artists, not fine artists really gets straight to the point. It means we’re in the business of designing for our clients, not personal glory, not awards. Too many design firms try to make every project an award winner without regard to the client, their branding, their budget, and the project. Great design is important but the success of your clients is much more important. I think that a great designer is one that can create original pieces that actually make sales for their clients, within their client’s budget, on a consistent basis. I have little respect for designers that design for personal glory without regard to the project or the client.
As Warren Buffet, one of the greatest businessman of all time says, “You must judge yourself using an inner scorecard not an outer scorecard.” Basically, don’t design to impress your other designer friends. Design to help your clients make sales, in the end they’re the ones paying the bills. If you want to have long-term success as a designer it is more important to impress your clients than it is to impress other designers. If you happen to win awards while doing a great job for your clients, then that is icing on the cake. Just remember the client always comes first.
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