“I know what I like”
“I know what I like”
Words that can make any graphic designer cringe. I remember the 1st time hearing this while as a junior designer at McCann Erickson, I actually felt like a Charlotte Street vagrant with an STD spat on me on the face close to the mouth, but not inside. Just close enough for you to close it as tight as you can to avoid saying something that may cause you to lose the client.
It has come to my attention, that in the world of advertising, some clients, who have worked very hard to make their business large enough to hire specialists to do more of the heavy lifting for them, may sometimes forget who’s opinion should matter more. Knowing what you like doesn’t mean that your product or service will sell. Especially when you aren’t in the demographic that you’re selling to.
Let’s apply this phrase with other occupations:
Carpenter: here is your chair
Client: welI have 2 legs and I like how it looks. Can you make me a chair with 2 legs?
Doctor: I’m sorry Sir… You have stage 4 Cancer
Client: I’m not sure if I like stage 4 Cancer. Do you think you can diagnose me with stage 2?
Honestly the only industry where “i know what I like” applies is Hospitality. Advertising and Marketing shouldn’t be in the business of making you comfortable unless you’re number one in your market.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.
Henry Ford
Separating what you want or what you like, from what is required or what is relevant is not an easy task. This is why you hired a designer in the 1st place. Being objective enough to separate your personal preferences and ask the questions; “How would this resonate with my target audience and in a particular environment?” There are many instances where a relevant aesthetic may not be appealing to me, but will be appealing to the target demographic. Eg. I may not like the color pink, but you can surely bet that if I was given an ad for Teen Magazine to do, It be pinker than the eyes of a pot head.
At the end of the day the client is ALWAYS right <insert relevant emoticon here> and I try my best to educate clients on the psychology involved in visual communication and I feel like it actually isn’t that difficult. I think that for decades, people seem to believe that designers are just people who have the ability to draw or paint or use the Adobe Creative Cloud. Being a graphic designer is being a problem solver. Relying on feelings, emotions and inspiration will not allow us to consistently create excellent work. There actually is a process, and only by formulating a process can you guarantee a consistent quality for all your clients, regardless of industry.
Knowing what you like is irrelevant. knowing what the people who buy your product or service is.