Deadlines kill inspiration

Source: Veerle's blog

Picture this: you are sitting along the river in beautiful surroundings creating what’s bound to be your best work yet and you aren’t feeling pressured. Sounds lovely, isn’t it? Too bad it isn’t reality. Now there seems to be an almost impossible deadline around every corner.

Deadlines
I sometimes feel that as a designer we are the last one in the chain and we have to make up for all other delays that were created along the way. Another situation is that the design is the first phase of the process and you are obligated to do your job within a very fixed time frame otherwise you jeopardize the whole production process. I think we all have had this question "We just found out that we only have like a week to get this done". I know it's part of the job and it has become an industry standard. I personally don't find it very easy to manage the workload and keep everything in balance so that all clients are satisfied at the end of the ride.

Timing and planning
These days I have trouble to set a date when a potential client ask me 'when can you start on the job?'. This question is asked to me on a regular basis. The problem is that I can't give them a solid answer, because I can't look into the future of 2 months ahead. Some current projects might last longer then I estimated, especially bigger ones. Also, there are several people asking me this and I can't estimate which project will go ahead eventually. It might be 2, but it might as well be 10. I hate it when I say for example somewhere in the beginning of November, they wait for about 6 or 8 weeks, then they come back to me asking me if we can start on the job and I have to say, sorry but I need another 2 or 3 weeks. That's something I really hate, but unfortunately it's something unavoidable because there are too many variable factors that come with the job. I'm not installing kitchens here :) My production time is never fixed or easy to predict precisely, certainly not so far ahead in time.

Working at an accelerated schedule
I sometimes have the feeling that some clients seem to have an idea in their mind that being a designer is just pressing some buttons on the computer and 'voilà' a work of art is born. If only it was that easy! Designing to me isn't something that can be automated to reach the maximum production. It's an unpredictable mindset that some days works well and other days it's just procrastinating and staring at an empty canvas. When this happens I usually switch to another project where less creativity is needed. This way I don't lose any production time. However, if the job is urgent I just take a break. Inspiration and stress doesn't bode well for me. Being relaxed is the best catalyst for getting inspired.

Learn to say no
To me one of the hardest things is to say 'no' to a job. There are several reasons why saying no is sometimes the best answer. First of all you can only do what you can do within a certain time frame. Even if the offer is great, it's sometimes just impossible to accept the job and its deadline. A great part of our job is finding ideas and inspiration and this is so unpredictable. I'm always struggling to give the client a timeline if they ask me to. Most of the time it's a bit of a gamble. Luckily I have my years of experience and I can base my estimates on that. I always mention that the estimate timing depends on how fast I get feedback and how many revision work will be needed, because this is a part you just don't know.

Rushing comes at a price
Maybe I am not realistic, but I never wanted to own a design shop that spits out several websites on a daily basis. When I would do this I would lower our standards and work would become mediocre at best. My motto is always to keep the bar as high as possible. My thinking is along these lines: it must be a worthy addition to the portfolio otherwise there isn't personal satisfaction. That's very important because I strongly believe you have to feel good about yourself to create something strong. This post was triggered by an e-mail I got from Lisa Mikulski who wrote about it in a post called 'Tomorrow is not always an option'. She has some very good points:

• The designer will have to bump another client's work to do yours. A successful design firm, or designer working freelance, will often set up queues for work and continually asking for a "cut" in the queue is simply not fair.
• If the designer is rushed, quality work can be compromised.
• Clients need to understand that the computer fairies don't come down and do magic. In creating an ID or in making a design there is a certain amount of time required for the designer to conceptualize your project. This is the creative aspect that you are paying for.
• Designers need to rest and refresh too. In doing so, we are better able to provide you with fresh ideas, and quality service.

All points that ring very close to home. I like to think we are very flexible in working long days and most weekends, but such a thing can't go on for ever and it comes at a price if I do. That price is burn out and that's neither good for the designer or the client. It's not that I don't like deadlines. They are great sometimes, but what I am trying to say is that it sometimes happens that we're not able to come up with something good at the given timeline. My point is that being a designer is not as easy as it sounds, it's a constant battle in trying to get inspired and dealing with deadlines that are more often than not a factor that isn't helping. Luckily most clients get that, but hopefully the one that doesn't will understand it better now.