Comments on: Focused?

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:44:45 +0000

I agree with many of the points that you made about business and taking on one project at a time, and actually doing quality work. I love how you relate sports and use it as an analogy, it really hits home to me and I assume to a lot of other people they can also relate. I feel that's what a graphic designer is all about relating to their audience, no matter who they are. The jobs in my hometown put similar descriptions in their ads saying graphic designer needed, when in all actuality I don't think they really even know what one does and what their job description is. It's nice to know that people have similar problems they run into.

By: Pixel Acres » Blog Archive » Picking clients who help your business

Pixel Acres » Blog Archive » Picking clients who help your business — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:46:44 +0000

[...] Focused? [...]

By: Focus on graphic design blogs : David Airey :: Creative Design ::

Focus on graphic design blogs : David Airey :: Creative Design :: — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:40:23 +0000

[...] Focused? You are working hard and are dedicated to running a good studio but it never seems to be enough. You’re not getting the contracts you want, staff are burning out and it feels like you are falling behind. Your studio isn’t as fun as it once was and you’re wondering if you should quit and just get a job at a high-paying ad agency instead. Before you do, I’d like to share some thoughts on focus. [...]

By: James

James — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:22:16 +0000

Nice article. 'Hindsight is always twenty twenty'. Reminds me of this http://www.keep-calm.com/products/chart-hindsight/

By: Tyler Thompson

Tyler Thompson — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:12:33 +0000

Great article. In starting my own firm shortly, I had to go through the same realization.

I came to the following:
Under promise and over deliver.

By: makethelogobigger

makethelogobigger — Sat, 19 May 2007 19:03:00 +0000

Late to the party.

I think the Jack-of-all-trades mentality can be applied to both individual and the studio.

First, as an individual, (freelancer specifically), the positive:
Being able to offer multiple skills has kept me from losing work. Brainstorm session. Event promotion. Packaging. Brand identity. Whatever. The assignment may not have been as top level as I would like, but I still put in 110%. Regardless, you sometimes have to grab work where you can, pride be damned. But why miss out when you have experience to draw on that you can offer them, you know?

The negative for the individual:
Too much of that pigeonholes you bigtime in some places. Being all things to all people, well, just what is it you do? Concept person here? AD there? Designer in this place? (It's then you have to refuse certain types of work lest you be known as "the so-and-so person" who we call on just for... the same old thing. For young creatives, I’m not saying adopt a prima donna attitude either and refuse work, just be more selective.)

As for studios being focused, I agree they should be. But, if they have the skillset to go after other kinds of work, why not? (Ok, if your firm has never done a branding campign and only knows back-end production on websites, you may be stretching too far beyond your limits.)

The idea is still what's important though, not the media it runs in. (Almost adopting a media agnostic approach, because with so many options available, a consumer first experiences a brand in almost any area: web, movie trailer, viral, etc.) Why can’t a branding firm go beyond creating a color scheme and identity system and look at ALL the areas a client puts its message out? If an idea transcends any single type of media, the agency should go for it and pitch it.

(I'm thinking of the newer breed of a place like a 72andsunny in LA. They do web. They do viral. They do TV. Funky stuff. They seem to do a lot of it well regardless of the media too. And there's a lot of small agencies out there trying to do that too. The traditional offline giants like JWT and others are coming around, but even then, they still have to farm out their ideas to small interactive shops to make them work.

And, more than a few of those giants are scooping up smaller shops to service existing clients, especially in the areas of SEO/SEM. (I think though, that's where the newer breed of agency needs to focus: do we hook up with a monster agency because we'll get a piece of Proctor and Gamble? Or do we stay small on our own and pitch MTV directly? (Creatively, well, I’m avoiding P&G.)

This also changes the equation for brands by running with an idea from a smaller shop for the entire brand. They’re used to the traditional shops. As an up and coming agency though, what do you do, say, "Uh, no thanks, we're flattered you liked our website design, but we don't do TV?" In this case, you’re faced with the jack-of-all-trades label. Either that, or stay true to the singular "we only do websites" vision. (Me, I'd say find someone quick who does TV and bring them in, lol.)

End of ramble.

By: Drew Neisser

Drew Neisser — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:12:01 +0000

Focus is essential to the long-term success of just about every services practice. Think of it this way--who would you rather have as a surgeon--the specialist or the generalist? It's not even a debate, right? This focus has certainly helped me keep MarketingforGood.net on track. All that said, the reality is many of us in the communications world suffer from A.D.D. inspiring us to dart from discipline to discipline without hesitation. Throw in a pervasive sense of optimism that says "sure, we can do that" in response to a client's desire for one-stop shopping AND you have the perfect recipe for a full-service (jack of all trades) agency. At Renegade, we have tried to focus the conversation on IDEAS rather than specific disciplines and this seems to be working with some clients particularly those with smaller budgets and a desire for truly integrated programs. Larger clients prefer us to focus on particular disciplines that they consider our core competencies. Bottom line--in an imperfect world a little flexibility goes a long way.

By: arjan

arjan — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:23:56 +0000

Nice to see that you picked up on my comment of last november. Focus is key. Success is no coincidence. It happens to people that 'begin with the end in mind'. If you know what you want to achieve, chances are you'll most probably achieve it.
As a designer I think you should be focused when it comes to your output, but be as broad and openminded when it comes to input.

By: Design Enterprise » Blog Archive » Inspiration Juices

Design Enterprise » Blog Archive » Inspiration Juices — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:32:45 +0000

[...] And also a very interesting article on how focussed are you in your field of work. via newstoday. [...]

By: Focus on graphic design blogs : Creative Design ::

Focus on graphic design blogs : Creative Design :: — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:58:00 +0000