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True Colors – Breakdown of Color Preferences by Gender

Posted on: March 15th, 2011 by Sean Work 100 Comments

From the day that babies are brought home and cradled in their pink or blue blankets, implications have been made about gender and color. While there are no concrete rules about what colors are exclusively feminine or masculine, there have been studies conducted over the past seven decades that draw some generalizations. Let’s take a look at what they say about color and gender.

Click on the graphic below for an enlarged view:

View an enlarged version of this infographic »

Click here for a .pdf version of this infographic.

Key Points

Blue is the most popular color for both men and women.
The most unpopular color for men is brown.
The most unpopular color for women is orange.
This data should only be used as an initial starting point if it is going to be used to drive a design. Testing and collecting your own data is the only surefire way to know what colors work best for your audience.

About The Author: Sean Work is the marketing coordinator at KISSmetrics. Read his article suggestion of the day here: Case Study: KISSinsights & KISSmetrics – The 1-2 Punch for Increasing Conversion

The 5 Laws of Working with Creative Prima Donnas

Posted on: September 13th, 2010 by Pamela Wilson 12 Comments

You’ve seen the type:

They’re those designers, writers and marketing consultants who have their own ideas about how everything should be done.

Oh, sure, they listen to your instructions, but you can tell they secretly think you’re an idiot. If you insist on them doing things your way, they get upset and threaten to walk out on you.

Sometimes you want to throw them all out a window, right?

I can sympathize. Over the years, I’ve had to work with my share of creative prima donnas. It’s frustrating. You’ve seen the great results they’re capable of, but dealing with their arguments and eye rolling may seem like it’s not worth it.

I’ve also worked on some amazing creative teams that produced jaw-dropping work, even though there were some prima donnas on board. Through it all, I learned a powerful lesson: you can’t treat creative prima donnas the same as you do “regular” employees.

No, you don’t have to put up with tantrums. No, you don’t have to let them do everything their way. No, you don’t have to accept whatever work they feel is “best” for your company.

But there are some rules you should follow.

It took me years to learn them, and now that I have, working with “creative prima donnas” isn’t nearly as tough as it used to be. If you do it right, it can be a real pleasure.

Let’s take a look:

1. Work with the Smartest People You Can Find

If you’re putting together a team, don’t be afraid to be the dumbest person in the room. As a matter of fact, that’s a pretty good goal to keep in mind.

Here’s why:

Smart people aren’t just good at coming up with brilliant ideas. They’re good at explaining them, debating them, and also seeing other people’s points of view.

In my experience, most of the freelancers who are the hardest to work with aren’t geniuses. They are the people who willfully refuse to think. They have an opinion, but they don’t have anything to back it up, and so when you try to discuss their ideas in more depth, they just get mad.

Truly brilliant people don’t do this. Put half a dozen of them in a room, and sure, you’ll have some disagreements. Chances are though, they’ll be high-level, well-thought-out disagreements, and if everyone sticks with it, they can probably come to a consensus.

You don’t have to feel threatened by it. In fact, one way to know you’re on the right track is when you have half a dozen million people all debating about the right way to go.

The trick is, you also have to give them the freedom to have that debate.

2. Give Them the Freedom to Suck (at First)

What’s Rule Number One we all learned about brainstorming? “No idea is too ridiculous,” right?

There’s a reason for that rule.

Group members want to feel like they can say anything when it’s time to generate ideas. No notion should be too far out, and no idea too crazy.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve participated in brainstorming sessions where someone blurted out a crazy idea, and someone else followed the thread until it led to the idea we all decided to implement.

Occasionally getting a dumb idea out of the way serves to clear our neural pathways so that a really great idea can come bursting forth. And sometimes one stupid notion becomes the inspiration for an innovative, groundbreaking plan.

This kind of thinking can only happen in an environment where all ideas are welcome, so avoid shooting down ideas when they bubble to the surface, no matter who they come from or how outrageous they sound.

3. Give the Group the Power to Decide

If you’ve handled the brainstorming right, you end up with a long list of concepts to explore. Some are junk, but others may be diamonds in the rough.

It may be tempting to have the most senior member of the group decide where to take the ideas you’ve generated. Don’t do it.

Once you’ve gathered a good group of concepts, get everyone together and prioritize the contributions. Decide as a group what’s useable and what’s not.

Sure, it’ll probably take some time. Sure, you’ll probably have some heated arguments. Sure, you’ll want to say, “I’m the expert here. Do what I say.”

But if you’ll trust the group, and commit to coming to a consensus, you’ll always be better off. Your end product will be stronger because of the range of ideas you’ve brought together.

4. Share the Red Pen

Finalizing a project always involves refining and perfecting it. This is where the red correction pen comes into play.

One of the first things I do with a new design client is give them a few of my favorite brand of red pens. I tell them that I expect they’ll need to make changes to the projects we work on, and I welcome their contributions.

The red pen makes it easier for me to see what they’d like to change, and read the notes they scribble to me.

I sometimes send the corrected work back to them with my own mark ups. I make their changes and suggest others. Design, at its best, is a collaborative process. This kind of back-and-forth refinement is a great way to perfect your ideas.

5. Treat Them like What They Are: Valuable

It’s important for people on your team, no matter how small a role they play, to feel like they can contribute to all stages of your project: idea generation; product creation and refinement.

Cultivating an environment where team members feel free to contribute, even if you have a small business, and even if those team members are temporary or freelance workers, will always get you a stronger final product.

It’s no fun to be stuck on the tracks with a project leader who’s about to run you over. Don’t be that person.

What do you do to encourage your team members to contribute? What have I left out? I’d like to hear from you in the comments.

About the author: Pamela Wilson helps small businesses grow with great design at Big Brand System.

7 Secrets Graphic Designers Won’t Tell You about Effective Website Design

Posted on: August 27th, 2010 by James Chartrand 38 Comments

Ever had a run-in with a graphic designer who promised you a brilliant design but all you got was a big mess?

No, you’re not an expert, but you know what’s good and what’s not. You also know when you’re being taken advantage of. All you wanted was a website that would help you succeed online, and what you got instead wasn’t worth the pixels it was painted on.

And what’s worse is you have to start over. You’ve lost months of time, burned through thousands of dollars, hurt your business reputation, and gone through the emotional turmoil of it all, and now you have to do the whole thing over again.

It’s scary, because let’s be honest. What if Take Two is just as much of a nightmare?

Well, we’re not going to let it happen again. Here are some secrets many graphic designers won’t tell you, and knowing them can save you a bundle of both time and money:

Secret #1: Pretty doesn’t count.

Yes, you want your site to look nice and create visual impact with visitors, but good looks don’t bring in sales.

A great tour guide does, though – and that’s your website’s job. It presents your business to visitors and welcomes them, showing them around and introducing them to points of interest they should definitely see before they leave. As tour guide, your website has the task of providing visitors with the right guidance to direct them to where they want to go – and to where you want them to go as well.

Is it bad to be pretty?

No, I wouldn’t go that far. If you can have both a beautiful design and get results, then go for it. If you find yourself having to choose between one or the other though, stick with getting results. Winning design awards may be nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills.

Secret #2: You don’t need a redesign.

Imagine you’re standing there wondering how to be more appealing to the opposite sex. Ask a hair stylist, and he’ll say a great cut. Ask a makeup artist, and she’ll say a makeover. Ask a confidence coach, and… You get the picture.

So what do you think happens when you ask a graphic designer how to improve your website?

Exactly.

Remember, your design is just one piece of a bigger picture. What if your message is wrong, and you need a copywriting overhaul? What if your brand image is pulling in the wrong target market? What if your marketing strategy has holes in it? What if there’s an issue with your product or service?

You can’t afford to ask 12 specialists their opinion – you’ll end up overhauling every element of your business!

Ask a big-picture specialist for help – someone who can analyze several elements of your site and pinpoint the problem area. These experts know all the elements, understand how they work together and how much weight each carries in the conversion equation.

You might be surprised to find out there’s nothing wrong with your design at all, and just a fast copy tweak or a new marketing strategy does the trick. Bravo – you saved yourself thousands of dollars!

Secret Number #3: You don’t need to spend a fortune.

People say you get what you pay for, and sometimes, that’s true. But it’s not true that you need to spend your life savings on a good website.

There are too many designers out there preying on your ignorance, charging exorbitant rates for their own profit. They blind you with techspeak and fancy coding terms.

Don’t put up with it.

Decide your budget and find graphic designers who can work within it. Look for designers that fit the style of site you’d like for your business. Visit other sites you like and see who designed them. Ask for quotes, take your time and shop around.

It’ll save you thousands of dollars.

Secret #4: Maintaining a website isn’t expensive.

Many business owners get ripped off on this one. Since graphic design and website development is usually a one-time expense, unethical providers try to loop you in as a customer they can bill every month for recurring charges.

Expensive charges. Charges that don’t need to be.

Web hosting? You can pay as little as $5 a month these days – why pay more?

Maintenance? What maintenance? Oh, the upgrades that might come along every now and then? Well, opt for WordPress or another content management system that lets you do your own upgrades just by clicking a button.

Changes to content? A content management system wins again. Login to your site, and in two or three clicks, you’re updating your prices, changing your copy or adding a new page all by yourself.

When someone offers you an upsell maintenance package, ask what they’ll do for that money. Then go to Google and find out just how easy it is to do what they’ve offered you.

Not interested in maintaining your site? By all means, hire someone to do it for you. Just be sure you’re not being overcharged for quick and easy jobs.

Secret #5: You don’t need to be totally unique.

It’s true that you need to stand out these days and look different from all the rest. The problem is that some designers take it a little too far, and they design you a site that’s so unique it breaks all the rules – and not in a good way. Your stunning site ends up being a confusing experience for visitors.

Designers need to create sites that follow web conventions and usability rules, because these are the ultimate guides to navigating your site quickly and easily. If you break them, you’ll confuse your visitors.

For example, consumers know they’ll generally find an RSS or email opt-in on the top right of a site – it’s always found here. Logos are usually found in the top left of a site, and navigation bars are usually found below header areas.

Shun conventions, and you’ll create a visitor experience that’s similar to walking into an alien world. Nothing is where it’s supposed to be, everything is backwards, and it’s confusing at best.

And what happens?

People leave. Your website becomes crippled and ineffective, all in the name of being unique.

Secret #6: Branding is a special skill, and not all designers do it well.

Another little secret?

Most designers aren’t skilled in developing brand identities. They’re good at developing graphic design that reflects your brand identity, but if you haven’t supplied them with that crucial information, they’re just assuming.

They’re assuming your target market, and what appeals to those ideal customers. They’re assuming the values of your business and its marketing message. They’re assuming its personality and the type of experience your customers will have when they work with you or buy from you.

You know what they say about assuming, right?

It’s far better to work with a branding specialist to your developer your identity before you hire your designer, or work exclusively with graphic designers who understand branding and can develop a site that reflects your brand identity. Otherwise you’ll just attract the wrong kind of people, and the entire website will be a waste of money.

Secret #7: Design Isn’t Just about Photoshop. It’s about Psychology.

This is the biggie.

The secret to a great website isn’t in having a pretty design and some compelling content. The real secret is in psychology and consumer behaviour.

A graphic designer needs to know color psychology and the associations people make with specific shades and tones. He needs to know what imagery will appeal to people, the type of people it’ll appeal to, and why it appeals to them. He needs to know what’s going on in people’s minds when they land on sites and as they navigate through yours.

Are smooth curves better than concentric circles? Is IBM blue the best color, or is deep red a better choice? What will draw people to the right or the left? What emotional state should the site create? Should the design be modern and simple or colourful and bold or soft and comforting? Where do a person’s eyes travel, and what will make them stop?

Good designers know all this and much more. They understand that their goal is to influence a visitor’s psychological state of mind and perception of your business. The more designers know about how people behave, what makes them take action and ways they react to different elements, the better they can implement persuasive strategies into your site.

Then they build you a site that captures interest, holds it, and brings you sales.

Isn’t that what you want?

About the Author: Need help turning a bad design experience into a great one or want to work with a top team ready to bring you success? Contact James Chartrand at Men with Pens.

21 Resources to Help You Build a Company Website in Less Than an Hour

Posted on: August 18th, 2010 by Nathan Hangen 39 Comments

Come on. Is it really possible to build a company website in only an hour?

Not if you want a custom design, custom programming, and a custom marketing plan, no. You’ll spend weeks, maybe even months, designing your website, and unless you’re doing it yourself, it’ll cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

But sometimes all you care about is getting something up in a hurry. You want it to look good, sure, but it doesn’t have to be entirely unique. It just has to work and buy you some time.

If that’s the case, then yes, you can absolutely build a company website in less than an hour. All you need is a hosting company with the right software, a Content Management System (CMS) to keep you from having to write any code, and a nice template to make everything look good.

Here are 20 of the best resources from around the web to help you put it all together:

Hosting

If you install a Content Management System (more info on this below) by hand, you have to download the code, unzip it, upload it to your server via FTP, create a new database, and then install everything. If you’re familiar with the process, sometimes you can do it in 30 minutes or so, but if you’re brand-new to Content Management Systems, it can take you hours to figure everything out.

In response to this, many web hosts now have tools that install your Content Management System for you. Downloading, uploading, unzipping, databases, usernames, passwords — they take care of it all. All you have to do is click a few buttons, and you’re ready to go.

Look inside your control panel for these two tools, in particular:

1. Fantastico

For a long time, Fantastico was the gold standard for auto installers, and some people say it still is. It has about 50 different scripts it can install for you, requiring you to just choose the script, click install, and you’re done. It’s quite common to find Fantastico with web hosts who use cPanel, so if your host is one of them, login and take a look.

2. Softaculous

While not as widespread and well-known as Fantastico, Softaculous is quickly gaining a lot of fans. It has an expanded library of 164 scripts it can install for you, as well as a fresher and easier to understand interface. Once again, many hosts who use cPanel automatically include Softaculous with your account.

Content Management Software (CMS)

By far, the fastest way to set up a powerful, well-organized website is to use a Content Management System (CMS). Developers love to argue about exactly what constitutes a CMS, but in practical terms, it boils down to this:

With a CMS, you don’t have to write any code.

You can login to your website, create new pages, categorize them in different ways, edit them, add pictures, pretty much whatever you want to do. Each CMS has different features and limitations, as you’ll see below, but they all give you a foundation that allows you to start adding information to your website in minutes, not hours or days.

If you’re not a programmer or website designer, they are indispensable. In fact, most programmers and web designers now use them simply because they work so well, and they see no reason to reinvent the wheel.

Here are several of the most popular Content Management Systems:

3. WordPress

WordPress is the CMS of choice for bloggers around the world, and it’s an incredible piece of software. It’s flexible, supported by a passionate developer community, and best of all, free.

The only downside to WordPress is, it’s focused primarily on helping you set up a blog. You can use various plug-ins to make it do almost anything, including running an e-commerce store or building a regular corporate website, but out-of-the-box, everything is going to look like a blog, and it can take some time to change it.

Of course, if you want to have a company blog, that’s not a problem. And even if you don’t, WordPress is so simple and powerful that many of its fans refuse to use anything else.

If you’re not familiar with it though, or you don’t want to have a company blog, some of the other options here might suit you better.

4. Drupal

Although Drupal has a somewhat higher learning curve than WordPress, it’s a powerful and customizable CMS, and it’s also totally free.

Like WordPress, Drupal also has an active developer community that builds plugins and themes for your use. Although the framework is slightly more advanced, Drupal still works similarly to other CMS platforms in that it allows you to “mod” it with add-ons.

The upside of using Drupal’s more advanced platform is that it’s extremely flexible and dynamic, which is perfect for developing more advanced websites and applications, such as communities, e-commerce stores, and almost anything else you can imagine.

The downside is it doesn’t include much functionality out-of-the-box, and if you’re not familiar with it, it might take some time to make it do what you want. In many cases though, it’s worth the learning curve, especially if you’re planning to use it for multiple websites.

5. Joomla

Joomla is Drupal’s closest competitor, and it’s also a great platform for anyone looking to build anything from a simple static website to a robust online user community. Like the others, it uses plug-ins, also called extensions and templates, to expand the functionality of the base platform, and it’s totally free.

The advantage of Joomla is that it does a lot straight out of the box, and you can be adding pages to your website and fiddling with the design within minutes. It’s easy-to-use, powerful, and with the right modules, you can make it do almost anything.

The downside is sometimes you can’t find the modules to make it do exactly what you want, and if that’s the case, Joomla isn’t quite as easy to customize as Drupal. If you’re looking for an ultra-simple website, you might also be overwhelmed with everything Joomla gives you, making one of the other Content Management Systems here more appropriate.

6. Squarespace

If you want something that’s even easier than the options we’ve shown you thus far, then consider checking out an all-in-one, hosted CMS, such as Squarespace.

I like Squarespace so much that I built my website with it, and I was able to do so without any knowledge of code or Photoshop. Although hosted CMS platforms like Squarespace aren’t as flexible or as easy to expand, they do eliminate the need for hosting, software installation, and theme purchasing.

With Squarespace, you simply buy an account and start building your website. You can have it up and running for less than $20/month, and you don’t have to install anything.

The downside: it’s not free. For many businesses though, it’s more than affordable.

7. Expression Engine

Expression Engine is the new kid on the block that is quickly making it’s rounds and asserting it’s newfound influence in the CMS Market.

Like Squarespace, Expression Engine is not free, but it differs in that it’s sold as a one-time purchase, rather than as a monthly cost. Like other CMS platforms, Expression Engine is downloaded and installed to a self-managed web host and is easy to use and customize. In fact, it’s becoming so popular that many WordPress developers and theme sites also offer Expression Engine Themes.

Although I’ve yet to try EE, I’ve yet to hear anything negative, and it seems to offer a growing number of plugins and advanced business solutions.

8. Tumblr

Granted, Tumblr isn’t going to get you a fully functional website, but if you don’t need one, then it might be the perfect solution for you. Tumblr offers a large selection of free and premium themes, but also allows you to modify or create one of your own.

Unlike the rest, Tumblr does not allow you to upload files to their servers, but you can fix that by obtaining an inexpensive hosting account. If you don’t need to do much other than to blog or embed multimedia content, then you can have a Tumblr website up, complete with as many pages as you need, in less than 15 minutes.

Did I mention it’s free?

9. Concrete5

I’ve not used Concrete5, but I keep hearing about it from blogging and developer friends. It’s free, open source, features WYSIWYG editing, and is developer friendly. However, unlike other open source platforms, Concrete5 is not “designed by committee” and is much more discerning with the code they allow into their core.

Interestingly enough, Concrete5 boasts of being enterprise friendly and stable at 1 million+ pages, which is where many CMS systems get slow and unstable.

Shopping Carts and E-Commerce

Technically, shopping carts and other types of e-commerce software are another type of CMS. They are such a specific type though, and they’re so essential for many companies, that I decided to put them in a separate section. If you’re selling any type of physical products or services with your website, you might want to consider some of these packages:

10. osCommerce

osCommerce is an open source e-commerce solution based on the popular GNU General Public License. It’s a solution that was created in 2000 and now used by over 10,000 web shops worldwide.

While immensely powerful, a potential drawback to using osCommerce is that it can be complicated for novice users, but luckily, there are plenty of online resources that explain installation, setup, and upgrading, including an active developer forum on the project’s website.

11. CubeCart

CubeCart is no slouch, in fact it’s so popular that it’s used by over 1 million E-commerce sites across the world. The great thing about CubeCart is that they have a free version, and a free 30 day trial for the premium version. As a one-time purchase, this is much cheaper than a hosted eCommerce solution.

The downside is that you must install and manage this software on your own, but if you have a handle with HTML and CSS, then you can probably find your way around this one just fine.

CubeCart features a “plug and play” module system capable of working with Paypal, UPS, Google Checkout, and more.

12. Magento

Magento claims to be the world’s fastest growing e-commerce platform, weighing in at over $25 billion in transactions, 60k merchants, and 2 million downloads.

It’s open source and offers everything from free to enterprise solutions that include warranties and support. What’s impressive about Magento is that it features some of the most dynamic tools, user options, and management features on any open source platform, and is likely to have a scalable solution that meets your businesses’ needs.

You can view their comparison chart to see which version is right for you.

13. PrestaShop

Yet another free open source e-commerce solution is PrestaShop, which features everything from catalogues to shipping modules. Using this software, you can take payments, manage customers, track important metrics, and handle customer orders with ease.

What’s nice about PrestaShop is that both their website and software are easy to navigate and use, which is something sorely lacking with the competition.

14. ZenCart

Most people are familiar with ZenCart because it’s one of the oldest and most trusted e-commerce solutions on the market today. It’s also featured as a quick installation module within most Fantastico control panels, which means you can install it onto your CMS with ease.

ZenCart is template based, and it’s simple to use. The downside of course is that it’s less flexible than other platforms, but since we’re looking to build a website in under an hour, this might be the way to go.

15. WP E-Commerce

This is a WordPress plugin that installs in seconds and although it cannot be used with other CMS platforms, it bears mention because of it’s popularity in the WP community. Although many WP themes do come with built-in ecommerce features, WP e-Commerce tops 99% of them.

Theme Marketplaces

Content Management Systems all come with built-in designs and themes, but you’ll probably want one that’s better suited to your business. For most CMS’s, there are thousands of free themes available for you to download and use, but in general, the premium themes have the nicest designs and offer the most functionality. Also, because premium themes cost money, less people are using them overall, meaning it’s usually less likely someone will see your design on someone else’s site.

Here are a few marketplaces that offer themes for multiple Content Management Systems:

16. Theme Forest

Owned by Envato, Theme Forest is an enormous marketplace of themes and templates for all types of websites. Currently, they have themes for WordPress, Joomla, and Magneto, as well as HTML and PSD website templates that don’t require a CMS.

17. Template Monster

Perhaps the largest collection of high-quality templates and themes on the web, Template Monster is another place you should look, if you’re shopping for a quick design. They have templates for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, osCommerce, Magneto, and ZenCart, as well as half a dozen other Content Management Systems. You can also buy logo templates, turnkey websites, stock music — everything you need to get a website up and running fast.

18. RocketTheme

Taking the prize for the most energetic and exciting theme marketplace, RocketTheme offers solutions for Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, and phpBB3. Their themes are sold as a membership, meaning that for $50, you get 90 days to download up to 2 themes, or for $250, you get a year to download as many as you like.

19. WordPress Specific Marketplaces

Since WordPress is the most widely used CMS, I thought it would be worthwhile to list a few WP specific theme shops to choose from:

WooThemes – Single, Developer, and Subscription licensing
ElegantThemes – Subscription and Developer Licensing

Logo and Identity

If your company doesn’t have a web-ready logo, then you’ll need to pay someone to create one for you. With logo houses, there are essentially two choices, ready-made design or from scratch.

These companies offer both, with quick turnaround times for service:

20. 99 Designs

99 designs is one of the first websites to bring the concept of “crowdsourcing” to graphic design. You can post a design contest, and designers will compete for your business, submitting different designs for your approval. Or you can buy one of their ready-made logos and have them customize it for you.

Either way, it’s an easy way to get a logo made fast.

21. Inkd

I recently discovered Inkd while shopping for a custom logo service, but they also offer website-ready design and identity packages. Their prices are extremely reasonable and they often run sales, giving you anywhere from 15-30% off.

I’ve used both custom and ready-made services and have been extremely satisfied with the results.

How Do You Know What to Choose?

So many options and so little time, right?

I’ve tried to provide a few of the pros and cons for each CMS, but to really get a good idea about which might be a good fit for your website, take a look at these more in-depth comparisons:

What Have I Missed?

Did I leave out your favorite CMS or a great site to get templates and themes? Have other tips for getting a website design fast?

Tell us about them in the comments, and we’ll compare notes.

If you enjoyed this post, click here to bookmark it on Delicious.

About the Author: Nathan Hangen is an entrepreneur and founder of Soundtrackster, which offers premium royalty-free music for media publishers.

10 Secret Code Phrases to Get What You Want from Your Graphic Designer

Posted on: July 30th, 2010 by Pamela Wilson 58 Comments

Pixels, white space, focal points and sans-serif. Designers have their own language, and it’s baffling if you’re not used to it.

It’s almost like we have a “secret code,” and we reserve our best work for the clients who know it. When you speak with us, you might feel like you need a translator to communicate what you want and get marketing materials that stand out.

But the good news is it’s simpler than it sounds.

In the end, you don’t need to know the difference between points and pixels to get the best work from your designer. You just need to know a few secret code phrases to help you describe what you want and avoid the red flags that set graphic designers on edge.

Code Phrases to Avoid:

Say the phrases below at your peril.

When we hear these come out of your mouth, we immediately start either formulating how we can say “no” to working with you, or calculating how much more we should charge for the project so that we can cover the additional time it will take to deal with you.

1. “I’ll know it when I see it.” When you say this, we have visions of parading design after design by you as you sit passively and observe. Design is a two-way process. Your participation and guidance are key to coming up with a final product that meets your needs.

2.”Here, I made a layout for you.” On the other hand, we don’t want you to do our work for us. Tell us about your conversion goals and the market you want to reach, let us know if there is a certain mood you want to create or an image you want to convey, and then step back so we can do what we do best: solve communication problems visually. When you try to do our work for us, you limit our ability to deliver the best solution.

3. “I had a huge falling out with my last designer.” This one puts us on edge. We wonder why? Was it them, or was it you? Were you impossible to work with? Did you not pay your bills?

4. “I don’t have much to spend now, but there’s more work coming.” Whenever you don’t have money set aside for design, it’s like telling a designer that you don’t value good design or well-planned marketing, and you won’t appreciate the impact it will have on sales. It’s a red flag that you’ll be hard to deal with, won’t pay invoices on time, and might even be out of business within a few months or years — none of which are qualities top designers are looking for.

5. “How much does <hideously complicated project> cost?” Designers sometimes have standard prices for projects that have a tight description and don’t vary much. These could include website headers, HTML emails of a particular length, and even logos. But for any project that’s complex, such as a free report, corporate website, or product packaging, we need to gather information before we can give you a price. Experienced business people know this, so asking for a “ballpark figure” before giving details just makes you look like a beginner.

6. “I want to show this to my <spouse/friend/child>.” There is nothing wrong with asking for feedback, but this one still makes designers nervous, and here’s why: none of these people are inside your business. If you want to talk with a marketing director or your business partner, that’s fine, because they probably understand your business and marketing goals, but when you go outside of your company for feedback, what it really tells us is that you can’t make a decision on your own.

Code Phrases to Use:

The phrases below are music to our ears. Clients who understand the value a designer brings to the table and know the importance of well-planned marketing say things like this:

7. “What do you recommend we do?” The simplest way to get inspired work out of anyone is to make it clear that you value their opinion. Graphic designers are no exception. Instead of starting a project with your deliverables set in stone, give us a chance to think about it and make recommendations. Sure, it might take an extra day or two, but you’ll often be amazed at the ideas top designers give you. It can be the difference between a mediocre marketing campaign and one that makes you millions.

8. “How much time do you need?” This question tells us you know good work takes time, especially for new clients. First projects always take the longest because we are inventing the “look” of your company from scratch. It takes a lot of thought, back-and-forth, and revisions, all of which take time. But if you’re willing to be patient, it’s worth it.

9. “What’s the best way to communicate?” Some graphic designers are impossible to reach by phone, while others prefer it. Some are happy to talk with you at 10 PM, while others can’t. Before you start your project, it’s important to know how your graphic designer prefers to communicate, and then do your best to accommodate it. You’ll have less mixups, more fun, and a designer who loves working with you — all of which lead to higher-quality work.

10. “Here’s the information you need. Here’s the target market. Here’s how we’ll approve your proposals. Go to work!” The ultimate designers’ fantasy: a client who has all of their text and photos organized; who knows their target market and overall goal for the piece; who has a clear approval process in place; and who is willing to give us the time and authority to do our work. If you learn nothing else from this article, learn these phrases, because they cover everything we want to hear.

The biggest secret of all?

Clients who are easy to work with and use the secret code phrases on a regular basis don’t just get our best work. They also get the lowest invoices, because we can work efficiently and don’t have to fight our way through the process.

How about you? Do you have a good working relationship with a designer? What makes it work? Or have you had nightmare experiences?

Tell us about it in the comments.

About the Author: Pamela Wilson is an award-winning graphic designer and author of the Big Brand System.