Copy & Paste {Edition}

The Design Method

THE DESIGN METHOD IS A NEW BOOK BY ERIC KARJALUOTO, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDING PARTNER OF SMASHLAB. HE KINDLY TOOK TIME TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I THOUGHT WOULD INTEREST YOU. THE QUESTIONS ARE SEPARATED WITH SOME ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.

Both the client and designer play important roles in the creation of good design. However, each one holds certain strengths and insights that the other doesn’t. As such, think carefully about the part each group plays, and try to avoid stepping on the other’s toes.

You talk about presenting just one idea to your clients. I get occasional enquiries where I’m asked to create a number of designs. Have any of your clients been adamant about seeing more than one idea?

Although many clients start by asking for three options, I explain to them why aiming for one target is more sensible: Doing so minimizes tangential directions that can take the project off course, helps keeps the project on track/budget, and reduces the number of decisions they’re forced to contend with.

I explain that we run many (often hundreds of) variations in studio, and edit down the choices before presenting the most workable option for their review. If they disagree with our recommended direction, we note what isn’t working, and then iterate.

We don’t mind going back to the drawing board if necessary; we just want to ensure that we’re moving the client and project forward in one clear direction. When I explain this, most clients see the logic and agree that it makes more sense than the alternative.

IKEA’s designers employ a number of consistent rules when producing assets. As a result, you could change the text to gibberish and most would still be able to identify the brand.

You say the voice of the designer is irrelevant — what do you mean?

I’m speaking specifically about individual personality and style. Design is often considered a close cousin to art, and this misunderstanding clouds what our industry is about. New designers, in particular, want to imbue their work with their own sensibilities, but this desire isn’t actually that important.

Clients, for the most part, don’t want the designer’s personality to show through the work they produce; instead, they need design that is built around their needs and amplifies their organization’s values and aspirations. Designers need to gear themselves to think about their clients’ needs first.

It’s understandable that you’ll find trends compelling, but it’s a real drag to look back and realize that you were lured into the same pointless fads as everyone else.

Read it futher here