design woes

I have been designing for a while now and have worked on the most vague thread bare briefs and with the most trying stretches of detours that the client may take.

Picture this , you are about to wind up for the day and weekend and you get this urgent buzz ” we need a generic innovative  unit, island typology , its an open budget; see what you can do, its urgent …   ( interpret as ” the world will fall apart if we do not deliver this to the client, so he can enjoy it over the weekend)

Ok, so now I’m trying to interpret this, there is no direct brand association, so no brand persona cues to move forward on, so it can probably draw from deconstruction, minimalism , contemporary post modernism etc etc…. and remember there is no cost constraint … maybe we can use swarovski crystals (pun intended )…what a delight !  Not really I have to imagine now what will fit the clients sensibility ( though I think thats the most difficult thing to fathom )  also please observe the wanton use of the  i-word  ( if there was someway of knowing what constitutes ” innovative” – in the clients’ dictionary !!! )

Now, I try to begin the design process sans brand, sans proper specifications, so  I really have no justification or design argument plus the clock is ticking. So I zero in on the most likely materials, coressponding aesthetics, practical feasibility we are moving along well now, full speed ahead. Its an island unit, so it would be approachable from all sides, maybe I can make it  three sided — viola !!!  atleast we are started now.

Buzz goes my phone … urgent voice … we are sending you some reference images … can we do this, it looks really nice? My voice fails me and I can already see the inevitability of this. The clock is ticking and I think to myself – grin and bear this, the weekends’ here.

I look at the reference image, I hate doing this already. So now I’m trying to blend in elements , with my concept and have an acceptable product, hopefully innovative. The renders are through I set them in a meaningful presentation, I have made the deadline (  yet again ) . I shoot of the mail and am off for the weekend.

The client reverts on Monday, ok actually the unit is to be placed against the wall, we can have only one graphic, it shouldnt be triangular, the size exactly 4′ x 1.5′ x 1′, we need more dispensing less of innovative looking windows … also can we have more options ?

 Such clarity of thought, if only this moment of truth had  happened earlier.

 Well, I knew this was going downhill from the start. More options were put forth, many changes, additions, alterations later , we get client feedback  they all look interesting but can we have the header from option 1, the dispensing window from option 2, and can we flip the unit counterclockwise.

What incisive observations, this design is becoming a DIY.  Now my brain has stopped responding so I just follow the clients’ recipe. Mix 1 and 2 and flip, sounds fairly simple, take a deep breath we can do this …

the smoke is begining to clear and we can now see the mutant offspring of the previous designs and it looks like a monstrosity no less, but maybe no one will notice.

I set the renders in a meaningful presentation for the nth time ( its really difficult now ).

I was tempted to add a disclaimer : the design put forth is a product of circumstance ( read as client’s whims ) and the designer does not necessarily subscribe to it.

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the image is from a master illustrator, check his work at http://albertocerriteno.com/

also read “silk road typography” – William Drentel – http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=4877