Revisions

Revisions: How much is too much?
Revisions: How much is too many?
Revisions: How many is too many? This many!
Revisions: They’re not just for cows anymore.
Revisions: How to know when to stop.

Revisions: How many is too many?

Collaborating Collaboratively

Here in the marketing world, we creative folk work as part of a team. We interact with account managers, project managers, department directors and contractors as well as the clients and everyone has an opinion. So naturally with more people comes more ideas to be integrated and with that comes revisions. Collaboration is a critical element and it’s crucial to lay down the law about what is to be expected from the project and set boundaries. If in the event boundaries absolutely must be broken for further revising and for the greater good of all the project and mankind then you regroup as a team. Otherwise…. stick to the game plan.

Time, Budget and Scope…oh my!

Nothing burns hours faster than revisions. Nothing blows budget faster than revisions. Nothing ruins a design like revisions…or a blown budget.

There will always be new ways of improving any design. The more you, the designer guy (or gal), look at it the more you spin one idea off the other and the more likely it is you’ll be revising. Similarly the client or your co-workers will discover news ways of improving the design once it’s physically in the works. What if we did this? Or how about that? If time, budget and scope are not kept in mind it’s likely to go overboard pretty fast. This is where collaborating effectively from the get go comes in pretty dang handy.

Handling a revision explosion

It’s easy to get caught up in revision mode. So how do we do it? How do we prevent revisions from taking over the project?

A. Keep the goals in mind from start to finish and know when to stop?
B. Decide which revisions are and are not necessary to aid in the success of the project?
C. Use a Louisville Slugger to threaten all members not willing to bend?
D. Barring time and budget chalk it up to a job well done or consider it intermission until the next round of revisions are proven worthy of your time?
(Note: If you chose C as an acceptable solution it may affect your next performance review, as we do not condone violence)

Revising the revised revisions 

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it”. -Salvador Dali

Perfection is an unattainable goal. While I don’t know anyone who actually has this as a set goal in life, I think it surfaces from time to time in all areas of our lives. Work, family, exercise, cooking (note: cooking doesn’t apply to me personally). In the creative world o web design it seems almost silly to spend hours on end perfecting a design…but it happens.

In school you have all the time and budget in the world to do as you please and take as long as you want. Due dates can be extended or ignored and no one spends any money on the time it took you to create and revise. Even with the freedom to revise as much as your little heart desires it is never complete because the truth is a project is never done it’s just due. There will always be something about a design that you have to learn to live with and accept…whether it’s as large as a concept or as small as a graphic off by 1/8.” Here in the real world there are deadlines and goals internally and externally. Projects are due, delivered, expectations are made and deliverables are a must. The key to your sanity is managing scope from start to finish.

Prepping the Project

A few handy hints to keep in mind BEFORE you start designing a project:

1. A good designer knows when to accommodate collaboration and revisions and when to stop and convince others that the design is done. They also know that dressing up means a jacket with their jeans and t-shirt and fun socks.
2. Time and budget. Budget and time.
3. Stick to SCOOOOOOOPE!!!!
4. Don’t get attached. View your design as temporary because it is. It’s the web…and it will get changed. Remember sites from 1992? Retro isn’t always cool.
5. Explore design ideas first. Polish the approved ones next. This means making strong statements about your goals early on in the project and spending as little time as possible on the initial design…just enough to generate the brain waves and get the ideas flowing. Save the refinement for the approved direction.
6. Make sure everything that needs to be there is there. Like a home page, buttons, content probably, related project goals….stuff like that.
7. Design for the client’s client. They will be using this site, so make sure you take real good care of them.
8. Explain your decisions…. make them thoughtful decisions. How do [insert designer’s name] ‘s ideas on direction apply to the client’s goals? How will it work for them?
9. Listen to your Creative Director. He’s (or She) not just your supervisor. He’s (or She) also your friend.
10. Last but certainly not least always remember the first rule of design: It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it.

Sent from Ben’s iPhone