We are sure many of you will be wondering upon reading the title, “Don’t designers and marketers work together as a happy family?” Well-ask that to the designer who is frustrated reworking his web page endlessly because he isn’t able to nail the marketer’s less-than-clear design brief or the marketer who is finding it tough to convince the designer why the call-to-action button needs to take the center-stage before any other graphic element.
While the goal of both marketers and designers is to arrive at the same destination-which is creating and executing insightful and engaging content for the desired audience, it’s more often than not, their work approaches that lead to confusion/tension (at best) and project delay/unsuccessful campaign (at worst).
Many a time the designers feel that marketers cramp their style by placing too much importance on the ‘sales’ aspect over the design while marketers feel designers don’t ask the right questions and dive straight into designing which might not be in keeping with the strategy.
But it doesn’t have to be like this, at all. Designers and marketers can very much work happily with each other-all they need to do is, first-understand their similarities and differences and second-give precedence to their shared goals by finding ways to work around the differences.
Here’s how that can be achieved:
Knowing the Purpose of the Design from the Get-Go
First and foremost, there is a BIG, THICK, DISTINCT line separating design from art. This, in other words, means that what the designers’ create shouldn’t be all about the aesthetics but also be rooted in functionality and offering a solution to a problem. It’s very important for marketers and designers to sit together before they launch into the ‘actual work’.
The marketer must make their marketing objectives clear to the designer right off the bat instead of conveying them after the designer has started the process of creation. Once the designer is equipped with the insights and details, say, for example, whether the brochure is meant for a B2B audience and calls for a formal treatment or a website needing an upbeat yet minimalist look, etc-they can give the marketer a fair idea about their approach and timeline for the project.
Taking the Time to Understand Each Other
By this, we mean understanding the norms and trends of the respective industries. It would be hugely helpful to marketers if designers gave them a mapped-out trajectory of their process using guideposts such as wire-frames, sitemaps, mock-ups, website architecture, etc.
Likewise, it would also make the process much easier if the marketers are abreast with the latest developments and trends in the design world.
Providing Timely Feedback and Asking Questions
If there’s one crucial thing to remember in the designer-marketer-equation it is this-successful design doesn’t happen on a wing and a prayer but on timely feedback and by asking the right questions.
For the collaboration between the designer and marketer to be a fruitful one, both of them must keep tabs on each other’s progress-a marketer must work closely with the designer to know how the design is shaping up and whether or not it is in sync with the overarching objective. Similarly, the designer must check with the marketer if their design is meeting the brand guidelines, intended purpose, etc.
Putting Down a Number for Time and Revisions
We can’t emphasize enough on this point. Given the fact that design is subjective-what the designer thinks does perfect justice to the brief may not be ‘quite there’ according to the marketer. This is why it becomes important for both parties to know how much time and effort they need to spend on getting it right.
Designers must breakdown their deliverables in stages (in the first couple of weeks of starting at least) so that they know they are on the right track. Setting a deadline for every step allows for unhurried discussions and revisions which might not be the case if there are too many deliverables, too many revisions, and too many minds sharing their opinions.
Marketers must stick to their original brief and not have a change of mind as they come across something else. Designers must ensure they are adhering to the deadlines and not putting the marketers in a tight spot where they have to reluctantly approve content because of the lack of time.
If designers and marketers keep in mind these basic pointers before working on a project, we bet the collaboration will be anything but satisfactory!
To have more than satisfactory branding and integrated marketing activities for your company, we’d be more than happy to assist. Get in touch with us to know how we can do that.