It is a perfect day and you are in a perfect flow; creativity seems coming naturally to you and a great design is in the making. But as like any other Hollywood films, villain enters, I mean the smart marketing guy with his best Sunday suit on and clean shaven look, slays your creativity. Suggestions after suggestions follow until you feel benumbed under its massive burden and start feeling butterflies in your stomach. Rare are those occasion when the marketing and creativity go hand in hand. They always look like estranged couples hated each other like anything else. Now, do not cringe in disbelief, if you have any doubt, just go and ask any of your designer friend (statutory warning – you need to have at least 10 minutes ion your hand to hear the long and boring story) and you will be amazed that how intensely he hates the marketing guys. and will give a vivid account how one of the great designs of the year was sabotaged by the marketing guy just for meeting his mean objective, I mean meet the unjustified requirements of the clients. But this has not to be. Yes, creativity can do wonder but unless you put some marketing brain in it, all your great effort will go wasted. So, let’s see how we can cook creativity with marketing masterpiece:
Cool Down:
yah, it may sound odd. But do not get exasperated with anger at the sign of getting some silly advise from someone from the marketing world. Sometimes, these so-called silly marketing ideas do a great job in making a great design. Since marketing people are from the real world out there, they are well-informed about what may click and what may take a back seat. So, try your patient and do not look down at marketer as a killer on the prowl. They are just harmless people trying to guide you to make a design presentable or (Ok, Ok I agree, do not be angry) more acceptable to clients. Do not let anger get heavy on you and try some suggestions and a great design may come out despite all the hurdles in the way.
Marketing Is Important Dude:
Ok, you are adamant not to listen to anyone, like a brat; but one thing is sure that you will find it really tough appeasing the angry clients. Sometimes, a great design or great interface is not enough to make it a client feel good. He looks for some kind of marketing motivation in the design be it billboard, leaflet or web design. I have personally come across several designs that looks great but the temptation element is missing that will make you call the service provider. Now, there are some glorious exceptions where marketing concept and creativity are getting their share of attention and thus the outcome is super sexy.
Moreover, how on earth a creative person is to survive if he/she spurns marketing concept. Now, if you are concentrating on web industry, you will have no other option to accept the overpowering presence of marketing concept in all forms.
Do Not Forget Social Media:
There is some noise going on around how social media is going to the next big thing. So, as a creative designer, if you wish to cash in on this trend, you need to realize how important it is to fuse marketing concept while designing a great facebook fan page. But may be a creative Guru, that sounds really, no pun intended, but marketing needs some hand on experience. So, my humble advise, try to get involved into the projects to have a clear idea how a small change in the positioning may do wonder.
I can vividly remember the day when I smartly designed and delivered a Facebook fan page design that has nothing except a big and good-looking JPG image. You must not run into the same embarrassing problem. So take your time, do some research and then come up with a design that does not have any rough around the marketing side.
Jay Osbrone
Latest posts by Jay Osbrone (see all)
- How to Make a Great Designer See the Marketing Side of Things - February 1, 2012
