Notes from ‘In-House Design in Practice’

I picked up In-House Design in Practice by Cathy Fishel at the 2009 HOW Design Conference… I read it shortly thereafter, taking several pieces of Fishel’s advice to practice, and it’s helped me navigate the in-house design world ever since. Here are some of the more interesting passages (in my opinion) from the book:

“The in-house designer is the person who connects his or her employer to success by creating original, well-thought-out, informed communications for the organization and who manages time, budget, and other resources in ways that best benefit the organization.” (p. 25)

“You have to remember that designers are often viewed with suspicion because people don’t understand what we do. We stare at a blank piece of paper, the wheels are turning but are not visible, and then the work comes out. On the other hand, everyone likes to ‘be creative,’ to get involved with what we do. But you often find out that what they really want is control. IF you can show people that you are still listening to them and what they do, no one gets freaked out.” (p. 32)

“Too many companies treat their design departments like production houses: all hands, no brains… it’s a bit like McDonald’s… this creates a pretty joyless existence for the designer. At some point, the order-after-order mentality has to be changed. Co-workers have to be shown, through the designer’s actions, that a much better product- and sometimes, better price and schedule- can be delivered.” (p. 38)

“Becoming known as ‘the authority’ is accomplished through building trust relationships with people. That’s one of the enormous benefits of working in in-house design- the opportunity to develop long-term relationships. But simply being friendly is not enough. You must show that contribution to the larger organization is not only important, but crucial to everyone’s success… The key is to show that you have the other person’s best interests at heart, as well as those of the company. You are a partner not only to those around you, but to the company as well.” (p. 41)

“Trying to describe what a designer does- how the creative process works- to a left-brained person is like trying to capture water in your hands: it slips away faster than it can be studied. A cup is much more practical. Similarly, when talking about design with non-creative types, focusing on practical, non-artistic issues also works better. In this way, the actual, swirly nuances of creativity (that with which only the designer is interested) are kept out of the conversation, and focus is placed on the end goal (which everyone is interested in).” (p. 52)

“You also have to show yourself to be the expert: others may have opinions, but you have the actual working knowledge to get things done correctly. Back up your expertise with the information that only you have access to, such as your past training, color forecasts, design books and magazine articles, design seminar notes, design blogs and sites, and trend surveys. Such sources remove personal biases, and they introduce an outside ‘expert’ to the conversation, in the event that you aren’t being regarded as such.” (p. 58)

“No matter what you are presenting to a client, it is crucial to go at the proper speed. Think evolution, not revolution.” (p. 90)

“In any in-house design department, you are only as good as the value that is placed on your from higher up. -Mira Azarm” (p. 136)

“…we are not artists sitting around in berets waiting for inspiration. We are not here to make things pretty. We are here to help solve problems. We need to be involved early and strategically.” (p, 140)

“Get the right kind of feedback. Because people are much more prone to complain than they are to compliment, most of us learn to dread the word ‘feedback.’ It has a negative connotation, though, that it really doesn’t deserve. As most leadership and business methods training will tell you, feedback is a gift, whether it’s good or bad….” (p. 158)

“Transform negative criticism to positive feedback:

• When this sort of feedback arrives at the wrong time, ask the other person if you can talk about this later, when you can better focus on the concern.
• It’s up to you to translate what exactly that person is trying to say. Clarify what the person is saying by restating his words: ‘You don’t like it because of what specifically?’ Stay calm, don’t get defensive, and thank the other person for their input.
• Listen, listen listen.
• Ask the other person what he thinks should happen next. Stress ‘we’ as opposed to ‘I’. Keep the problem-solving process one of teamwork.” (p. 162)

Get a copy of In-House Design in Practice for yourself at Amazon.com.