BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Those of us who work in creative fields tend to need to return to the wells of inspiration for a bit of a recharge for our imagination. In these times we turn to many, many different areas, looking for anything to spark those creative fires once again so that we can enthusiastically charge back into the proverbial fray. Hopefully with enough juice to punch through any of those roadblocks that may have been in our way when we went in search of inspiration.

In this post we are going to be focusing our inspirational radar in the typographical waters to help all of those enthusiasts and fanatics alike to get their fix of all kinds of font-related goodness. Here is an inspirational roundup we’ve collected to keep our readers busy for the weekend. We hope that you find enough typography inspiration in the sections below to keep your creativity flowing nicely for some time.

Typographical Based Artwork

The first stop along the way in this search for inspiration is in the various galleries of some talented designers who have created some imaginative artwork based around, or heavily featuring some typographical elements in the pieces. We have several artists with a handful of their designs in this first showcase, followed by a few random pieces from some other artists that we did not want to leave out. Some you may have seen before, some you may have not, but either way hopefully they will be that needed spark.

�ron Jancsó

�ron’s work is colorful and those featured are compromised of linework as the foundation for each piece. Used in completely different styles and weights, the work still shows a dynamic sense and versatility from the designer. Inspired and inspiring.

Lowercase G

From the Vector Graffiti Collection

Tokyork Logo

David Waters

First up beneath the spotlight is David Waters. David’s work ranges from both the grunge heavy to the sharp and crisp, but always present is an imaginative type work that accentuates the overall voice of the pieces they inhabit. With such inspired in his portfolio, this easy addition to the showcase should be rubbing off on you in no time.

The KDU Brochure

Ecosystems

Dichotomy

Adolfo Correa

Is a talented designer with some colorful examples in the showcase, where the type elements are the central element of each of the pieces. Below, Adolfo demonstrates that his skills lie outside the digital arena as well with the paper art tribute he created that we have featured.

A Tribute to Yulia Brodskaya

Steve Aoki

Enedi Collaboration 2

Alex Beltechi

As our showcase keeps on moving forward, we stop on the works of Alex Beltechi, a designer whose style and works are filled with a lighter, somewhat playful approach. His in-depth, layered styles lend well to the large typographical centerpieces of the pieces that we have showcased below.

Type Treat

Steampunk Typography

Changing Actions Wallpaper

Diego L. Rodriguez

The next designer that we find filling the wellsprings of inspiration with their amazing work is Diego L. Rodriguez. Diego’s designs are as big and as bold as the typographical elements that he crafts into his pieces. Once again, we see a range of styles skillfully employed in each piece as the work explodes from their digital canvases.

Solomon Tribute Album Cover

NAS – The Lost Tapes 1.5 Album Cover

Needles

Michal Sycz

Speaking of playful designs, our next artist up on the showcase is designer Michal Sycz, whose work is certainly no stranger to this fun loving nature as is proven in the first piece on feature. Though this whimsical approach is not in any way the standard for Michal’s work as we see the powerful voice of public commentary in the showcase as well.

Milk Sucks

Barcelona

slashTHREE / Order vs Chaos

Dan Beckemeyer’s Ampersand Food Groups

This next feature is all about the fun, with something of an unconventional look at typography. Well, at least one character of type that is. Dan Beckmeyer has created a series of Ampersands using two commonly combined foods to give the typographical character both form and a quirky, yet original series of pieces.

Wine & Cheese

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Coffee & Doughnuts

Cris Wicks

Cris Wicks is a designer whose works you have more than likely seen being featured around the webs as their breathtaking typographical portraits tend to catch the eye no matter their surroundings. Using a popular technique to create a portrait out of words, Cris has created some truly inspiring works that rank high in most folk’s favorites.

lyric portrait 2nd attempt

Beautiful Boogieman

Mr. Marley

Markie Darkie

Speaking of popular works that tend to make the rounds, you might have seen one or two of our next designer’s works. Markie Darkie has some vibrant and explosively colorful and bold typographical artwork that we just would not have felt right about excluding here from our inspirational showcase. For these works are proven useful inspirational tools.

CMYK

Fusion

GK

Steve Goodin

Our next showcase entries come from a talented designer who masterfully transports his typographical elements into a layered bed of classical grunge beauty. Steve Goodin delivers some simply stunning works that are sure to help kick-start your inspirational mojo machine into high gear.

Blackout

Open House

Signal

Dimo Trifonov

Next up along this road to inspiration, comes the work of designer Dimo Trifonov, who wonderfully submerges his typographical elements into his designs until they are nearly lost and merely art themselves. His interesting creations for a range of clients make a dynamic slice of his work which shows a versatility to his voice.

Trust the Mutation

Ashton Illustration

It’s all about the shoe

Neil Hanvey

Here our typographical journey for inspiration takes a turn for the whimsical and more playful side as we visit work from the portfolio of the talented Neil Hanvey. Neil’s designs are filled to the brim with exciting and colorful elements and sometimes characters. If fun tends to fan your flames of inspiration, then these next few pieces might be the dose you need.

Atomic Circus

Mecha Owl vs Steam Dragon

Hope for Haiti

Daniel J Diggle

The next designer that we are showcasing today is Daniel J. Diggle. Daniel uses intricately designed typographical drawings that heavily rely on various artistic elements to create and give form to the type, instead of the other way around as we have seen. Brilliant and beautiful work that certainly raises the proverbial bar.

Random Got Beautiful

The Roots

5125

Andreas Scheiger’s Evolution of Type

Next up, we find an original set of sculptures unlike other works you may have seen before from the Evolution of Type Exhibit by: Andreas Scheiger. This is a uniquely morbid, if not completely awesome idea for a set of typographical sculptures that looks beneath the surface, so to speak, of our type.

Exhibit Number 3

Exhibit Number 2

Exhibit Number 1

Tariq Yosef

As we are winding down in this section of the post, we have the final designer with multiple artistic typographical pieces from their gallery being featured here today and that is the imaginative works or Tariq Yosef. Tariq’s chaotic and explosive pieces are both rich and charged with emotion. Definitely an easy add to the showcase!

Numbers Man

typoGeo

its sad

Individual Artist Showcase

Now we have a handful of other designer artworks that not only caught our eye, but got the wheels of inspiration turning as we took them in, so naturally we couldn’t check out of this section without stopping in them first.

Nuzzles – Wooden Typographic Puzzles by: John Christenson are an extremely creative and fun break from the other works that we have been showcasing in the post. Once we laid eyes on them, we knew they had to get a spot on the list!

The Antidote by: Jared Nickerson is a simple retro design that uses typography to bring the whole meaning of the piece together and present it stylistically to the viewer.

Typefaces

How could we do a post focusing on typography inspiration and not actually deliver some typefaces that are sure to please and douse those creative embers with a little fuel? Short answer, we couldn’t. So feast your eyes and typeface appetites on the gatherings below and don’t forget that you need to still come up for air on occasion.

Slinkytype by: Paul Hollingworth

It may not walk down stairs or travel in pairs like its namesake, but the Slinkytype font is a stroke of creative genius. Taking the spiral, coiled visuals from this toy that has entertained countless kids across generations and distilling it into a highly unique typeface made this an easy addition to our showcase.

VAL – Free Font by: Fontfabric

VAL is a Fontfabric typeface whose weight and bubbly nature have made it a virtual splash among the community. The fact that it is free has not hurt either, but given its size and style you would expect it to be somewhat difficult to read, but that is not the case here. With a unique style for fitting the letters together, this font is certainly worth checking out. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

ROKE 1984 – Free Font by: Wete

ROKE 1984 is a typeface so refreshingly original that we could not exclude it from this post without feeling horribly guilty for shorting the readers. Wete, the designer, has delivered a font that really sets the bar high for others to follow, with several variations of the font to give your work just the look you were craving. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

Kalevi Typeface by: Ossi Gustafsson

Kalevi is another typeface whose elegance and sharp nature made it nearly impossible to pass up as we put this showcase together for our readers. Even with its somewhat boxy style, this font still comes across as classic and professional, and also has a stencil variation that takes it to more of a laid back place. So it works on numerous levels.

my Angle Type by: Andre Roquette

my Angle Type is another highly unique font that has evolved artistically into a funtional, wonderfully stylish typeface. The designer’s imaginative approach to the font’s creation has seemingly infused the work with an inspiring tone that is almost guaranteed to get those juices flowing.

Disorder Type by: Sig Vicious

Speaking of unique approaches to the font’s origins, our next typeface on the showcase shares this spotlight, and that is Disorder Type. Trying to encapsulate the symptoms and feelings associated with Dissociative Identity Disorder, the designer delivered upon a powerful, if not singular, typeface to the community at large.

Perforama – Free Font by: Alexey Frolov

Perforama is a fun font with a retro feel that takes a simple lined character, rounded corner approach to pulling together this typeface. Has the look and feel of an older seventies genre design, while still managing to keep it relevant and from feeling truly dated. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

Bardelin – Free Font by: Alexey Frolov

Bardelin is a bold and full typeface that still has somewhat of a lightness to it that most weightier fonts tend to be missing. The subtle waviness to the characters keeps the font from feeling constrictive and as concrete as most bolder fonts do as well. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

Dekar – Free Font by: Fontfabric

Dekar is another Fontfabric release, that is tight and crisp in all the ways a professional feeling typeface should be. With both a bold and a light variation of the font, this sharp type has a versatility to it that just might take you by surprise. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

Adec – Free Font by: Serge Shi

Adec is another uniquely crafted typeface that would make an inspirational addition to any designers virtual toolbox for sure. Taking somewhat of a split level approach, so to speak, the font combines character elements to give the type a slight sense of whimsy, while maintaining a sharp modern edge. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

Deibi v1.0 – Free Font by: Wete

Deibi is the second typeface by Wete that we have featured, though it has a completely different feel and tone to it. Though the font itself has the hand drawn, somewhat loose look, it still comes together in a tight-knit professional look that gives the font a unique personality of sorts. Click on the images to visit the page with the download link.

A Couple More For the Road

Before we go, we have a couple more places to turn when you are looking for typography inspiration that we thought we would drop into the virtual mix to cap things off. We hope that you have enjoyed the post and gotten some inspiration out of its holds.

Baseline Magazine is a magazine that is focused completely on typography. This is certainly a publication for every enthusiast and pro alike to look into to keep their fingers on the pulse of the typography in the design world.

Type Foundry Wiki is the Wikipedia entry for Type Foundries. Plain and simple. Want to know where to go to get all of your font fixes, then visit the foundry entry for lists of typeface sources to turn to!

Friends of Type helps you discover great fresh visual content. Four creative fellows are responsible for the project which features type artwork from artists around the world, yet mainly their personal work. The project values typographic design and serves as a sketchbook, archive as well as dialogue.

Consider Also Some of Our Previous Posts:

• The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy Of The World is a post from the Smashing vaults that can also help out with the inspiration end by taking you through examples of scripts from around the world.
• Typographic Design Patterns and Best Practices is another post from the ghost of Smashing past that can help you once that inspiration gets rolling once again, and you begin your next typography focused design.

(ik)

Not long ago, we put together a post that was intended to assist our readers with that ever pressing issue of finding that inspirational recharge that is necessary for anyone in any creative field. In the design field, we tend to take our inspiration pretty seriously, and as a result we search both high and low to find any sparks we can root out. This can make finding some pieces that have not already been soaked up by the masses a bit difficult when trying to gather enough inspirational kindling to start a bonfire’s worth creative energy flowing freely. Which is precisely what we are hoping to do.

And we believe that we may have succeeded with this new showcase that we have amassed for you today. Pouring through the web’s latest and greatest artistic offerings, we have gathered some freshly picked creative fruits to help fuel your design pursuits. Take a browse through some of these breathtaking artists portfolio pieces, dissect and digest them, and we are sure that your wellsprings of inspiration will once more be overflowing.

Anna Anjos

Anna Anjos’ portfolio is packed to the brim of unique and playful characters that are so full of color and vibrant imagery that they are sure to kick start this inspirational journey. Her voice stands out across mediums, easily identifying her singularly whimsical work.

Dave Allsop

Dave Allsop’s gallery of work takes us deep into a darker corner of the fantasy art world. Having work that spans across numerous staples of the fantasy gaming genre, Dave was an easy artist to share in this showcase.

Pat Perry

Pat Perry’s gallery of work was a must have for this showcase, and with a quick glance through just the handful we have gathered for you here, you will know why. Pat’s richly detailed artwork exists between the surreal and the fully abstract, bringing the work to life from an obviously imaginative mind.

Anthony Geoffroy

Switching gears in the showcase, we turn to Anthony Geoffroy’s portfolio over at Behance for a little dose of whimsy. Anthony’s caricatures are some of the most stunning examples of the artform that we have seen of late so we had to drop under the proverbial spotlight.

Michal Dziekan

Taking the whimsy in a much darker direction, we land in the slightly twisted portfolio of imaginative illustrator Michal Dziekan. Michal’s work, which dances between the tongue in cheek and the macabre delivers commentary in a very artistic and biting manner.

Scott Altmann

Lingering in the those richly artistic in between places, we come to the gallery of work belonging to artist Scott Altmann. Scott’s work dances between the dark and the lightly surreal in his personal works, but is more direct and playful in his commissioned work. His work does run an interesting spectrum.

Thomas Ehretsmann

That brings us to the fantastic acrylic work that fills Thomas Ehretsmann’s gallery. Combining his pulp style illustrations, with his rich acrylics, Thomas’ paintings feel like a page ripped from the old hard boiled detective novels.

Iain MacArthur

Refocusing our spotlight, we now find the portfolio of another very talented illustrator sharing in the limelight, Iain MacArthur. Iain’s extremely intricate drawings use a lot of random geometric shapes to create and give form to his gallery of work.

NIARK1

Jumping into another mixed media portfolio we move the showcase on to highlight the original artwork of french painter NIARK1. Using a combination of acrylics, pens, spraycans, and twisted imagery on wood panels, NIARK1’s style earned a richly deserved slot in the showcase.

Jonathan Bartlett

Jonathan Bartlett’s portfolio combines a light surrealism with a subtle, soft style that is somewhat reminiscent of Norman Rockwell’s work. Feeling as if the work was steeped in Americana, Jonathan’s art is sure to help get the inspired wheels a turning once more.

Mathis Rekowski

The gallery of work that we found of Mathis Rekowski, was breathtakingly chaotic and came with a charge of inspiration that we were sure would resonate with many of our readers. Dark in tone, but so colorful and playful at the same time, Mathis’ work is so creatively twisted that it is sure to satisfy.

Mike Friedrich

Mike Friedrich’s portfolio contains some very inspiring illustration works that range from the more playful and concrete in nature, to the somewhat darker edges of the abstract. The work alone was what got him featured on the showcase, but the interesting range didn’t hurt either.

FENIKS GRAFIX aka IKS

FENIKS GRAFIX’ body of work is one that is most would consider to be relatively whimsical, yet it still maintains a bit of an edge. This is not the easiest of balances to strike, but through IKS’ gallery we find how adeptly it can in fact be done.

Anton Semenov

Anton Semenov’s gallery overflows with darkly unique photomanipulations and other digital works that pass back and forth between frightening and haunting in their imagery. Almost as if Anton’s work delves into the world of nightmares and brings back some of its most mesmerizing and terrorizing captures with it.

Attila Brushvox

Coming back from the darkness, we have a much lighter and colorful portfolio to peak at with the often abstract artwork of Attila Brushvox. His work explores some very deep concepts even with their often playful, if not also a bit guarded, nature.

Artist Communities

In the last installment, we included a section that was dedicated to the numerous art communities that exist online, as wonderful outlets and resources for artists and enthusiasts alike. This time around, we thought that we would drop a couple of more into the showcase that were not featured the last time. So take a look at these new online communities for artists to see if perhaps they have what you are looking for. Be it a place to share your own work and connect with others, or be it a place to source out inspiring works or art!

Socurio

Socurio is an online location for artists looking to sell their work, and for those also looking to purchase it. This communal hub is one of the places that our readers turned us onto after the first post came out.

Shadowness

Shadowness is an awesome collective for artists and designers wishing to connect and share their works. The site has an array of interesting features to take the experience to the proverbial next level. This was another user recommendation from the last post.

Dropr

Dropr is a new online artist community that we only recently discovered ourselves. This community is still in development, so there are many more exciting things to come, but it already seems promising in its early stages. So we expect to see some pretty interesting things develop.

Online Apps for Artists

Now one of the main hindrances that many of us find, once we get that initial spark of inspiration is not having an available outlet to let the creativity flow. Which is where this section can come into play. Given that most of us spend a lot of time on the web, we have collected a handful of fun and handy online apps for image creation and editing for a quick and easy lightweight solution to this problem.

Sketchpad

Sketchpad is a relatively bare bones online paint/drawing application, or at least it feels that way from the simple, intuitive user interface. In all actuality, this app is fairly packed with options and functionality to appeal to and satisfy all levels of user.

Aviary

Aviary is an online service that you are probably already familiar with, but we had to mention in this section of the roundup. Otherwise this portion of the post would have felt somewhat lacking. Aviary’s free suite of powerful online creation tools have proven popular to users from across the globe, if you haven’t already, you should check them out.

Muro

Muro from Deviant Art is an online drawing/painting app that works with your Wacom tablet and allows you to upload your new creations directly into your DeviantArt account with the click of a button. There is also an export function for those who do not have an account, so no need to let that keep you from this waiting online canvas.

Pixlr

If you are looking for the depth of Photoshop in an online image editing app, then the closest that you are probably going to come is pixlr. pixlr is an incredibly loaded online image editor packed with functionality that is gaining in popularity among the online design community.

odosketch

Odosketch is an extremely simple and straightforward online sketch pad with a communal aspect driving the sharing function. From the whimsical to the classic, Odosketch provides a wonderful way to explore any inspired sparks kicking off in your mind.

Color Scheme Designer

Color Scheme Designer is our final tool, and another must feature app that this list would not have been complete without. With ranges of control options for the user, a complimentary, customized color scheme is waiting for your design with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Consider Some of Our Previous Posts

• Art Inspiration For The Weekend was the post that got this whole ball rolling here on Smashing.
• Finding Inspiration in Uncommon Sources: 12 Places to Look is another awesome post from the Smashing vaults that can assist you in your inspirational searches.

We recently did a post on how to tell your clients “No” which broke down the multiple considerations that need to be weighed when you are approaching this ground under these varied circumstances. Along with this handy online flowchart, Should I Work For Free? has you pretty well covered on that end. Now we bring you the other side of that coin: how to say “No” to other designers and developers that you might be working along side in any given project.

Let’s face it, we all know that there is a right way and a wrong way to handle these occurrences, however, when we find ourselves facing such a situation, we tend to just charge forward without any considerations being made whatsoever. This can lead to a number of issues arising out of this working environment unnecessarily, especially since with just a little more thought and effort on our parts, these potentially volatile situations can be diffused properly.

Just like we did in the last installment, we are going to start off by examining the various project points that we need to take under consideration before we boldly step forward and start throwing wrenches into the proverbial works. Once we have covered those things that we should always keep in mind, then we will look at the delivery itself for some final tips on moving out of the “Yes” person.

Is This a Personal Project?

First off, when you are working with another designer or developer and you come to a point where you have to tell them “No”, there are considerations that should be weighed that all fall in your path if the project you are working on is a personal one. This will determine the best way to handle the situation and proceed toward the project endgame.

Whose Idea Was It Anyway?

If you are working on a personal project then the first thing to consider when you are telling your teammates “No”, is exactly whose idea is this project that you are tackling? This helps to make your course of action a little bit clearer. Or rather, it should. After all, if the idea that gave rise to this whole project is yours, then telling the others “No” on suggested solutions or approaches is not like you are challenging them, it is simply like you are holding to your original vision. It is your project and you have a solid idea of how you want to achieve it. So telling the others “No” is a bit easier.

However, on the reverse side of that, if the idea for the project was not yours, then telling the others “No” can seem more like you are challenging their ideas and implicating that you know what is better for their project than they do. So you have to naturally handle those instances with a gentler approach. Not only that, but if the project was initiated by someone else, then you have to understand that your objections may not stand, and the others might proceed in spite of them. That is something else that you have to be prepared for. Also, in these cases, remaining insistent and clinging to your objections will only tend to complicate the working environment and relationships, so be prepared in team situations and to accept compromises.

Be very careful when saying “No”! Image Credit

Even if you are a key player in making this project see the light of day, if the idea for the project belongs to someone else, then they tend to be the understood head of the hierarchal structure and therefore, all final decisions should be left up to them. After all, it is their vision — we have merely agreed to help them see it through.

In Short:

• If the idea for the project is yours, then saying “No” is easier as it is expected to be your responsibility.
• If the project belongs to another, then saying “No” is more like challenging their vision.
• If the idea is not yours, then expect for your objections to be overruled and your cooperation to be expected to continue.
• Whoever’s vision brought the project into play, tends to be the final shotcaller.

What Part Were You Brought in to Play?

Another consideration that we need to weigh when we are thinking of telling other designers or developers on our team “No”, is the part that we were brought in to play on this project. Our expertise is usually what gets us into this position and it is this expertise that we are expected to bring to the table. So when we find ourselves on the verge of saying “No”, we have to consider if the impacts of this objection fall strictly under the umbrella of our expertise or not. Is this simply a personal objection that we have, or is it our skills telling us that this is not the way to go forward. If it is our expertise that is warning us about this way forward, then we should always speak up. After all, that is what we were brought in for.

If it is a personal reason that we have, then we may not feel as obligated to mention it or voice our objection, which might be the right way to proceed. If we have a personal disliking of the color orange, but for the project it communicates well with the message, then yes we should more than likely let it go. However, if it is a choice being made which takes the project places we do not feel comfortable with, and which we believe can hurt the integrity of the project then our personal objections need to be heard. For the comfort of our working environment and for the project itself. Chances are, we are not the only ones who will have this reaction. These reactions are another perk of having your perspective on the team.

When we are working as part of a team, it is easier for us to be able to step outside our role as collaborator in areas that are not strictly under our expertise, and into the role of user. Many valuable insights can be gained in juggled perpsective, and often times we are brought into a project so that we can provide both personal and professional project assessments.

In Short:

• Both our expertise and our personal reactions can favorably impact the project when we constructively voice them.
• Anytime our expertise urges us to object, then we have an obligation to tell our teammates our concerns.
• Our personal objections that do not fall under the umbrella of our expertise can provide valuable insights to the project from a user’s perspective.
• Not all of our personal objections are necessarily vital to the project’s course of action.
• If a projected course makes us uncomfortable in any way, we also have an obligation to tell our teammates about our objections.

Is There Room to Compromise?

Whenever we are working with others and we come up against a barrier which makes us inclined to tell our teammates “No”, we have to consider this before we act: can we find a way to make this work without compromising our reputation or personal code? If the answer is yes, then perhaps we should accept this compromise and move on with the project. After all, whenever we tend to be attached to a personal project, we tend to be doing so for the fun of it all. So if we do not have to make things unnecessarily complicated, then why not keep with the spirit in which we signed on to the project in the first place and just roll with it?

Even if the project is one that we initiated, there are times, when we may find that yielding to the expertise of those we are working alongside is the best possible course of action for the project. So if we can find the room to compromise and still reach our desired outcome, then what is the harm in being flexible from time to time. In fact, these kinds of compromises can serve to keep the entire team morale up, and that is always good for the working environment of the project. If the others always feel as if their ideas are being shot down, then their level of interest and passion for the project may start to decline.

In some cases, compromise might not just be the best way forward, in order to get your project to see the light of day, it might be the only way forward. Sometimes our lack of expertise in areas of the project could be a hindrance if we do not leave ourselves a little bit of room to compromise.

In Short:

• If we can reach a compromise without compromising ourselves or the project outcome, then it may be the best way forward.
• Most personal projects are began out of fun, compromising could help maintain that spirit and tone for the project.
• Compromising with your teammates can help to keep up morale during the course of the project.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Whenever you feel that you must tell the other designers and developers with whom you are working with on a personal project “No”, another fact to consider would be the future. Not only the projects, but yours as well. Does this mean the end of your inclusion in the project? And if it does, do you wish to work with these people again in the future? If it is your project and you are telling them “No”, does this mean the end of their parts in the project? Which in turn, could mean the proverbial back burner for the project until you can replace them. Or worse, it could spell the end of the entire project altogether if they cannot be replaced.

So where things do go from here, plays a big part in how we handle this situation for sure. If we wish for the project or the working relationships to continue, then we need to handle the “No” with kid gloves and find ways to soften the blow that this kind of rejection can inevitably be packaged with. Explain the reasons why we strongly feel that this is not the right course of action. Try to control any negative wake left behind us. Whereas, if we feel that our involvement in both the project and working relationship has run its full course, then we do not have to dress up our objections — we can simply let them be voiced and let their impacts have whatever wake they might.

This is not to say that we should ever set out to burn any bridges in the design or development communities, no. But more saying that there are instances where we will inevitably care less if our telling others “No” has lasting effects upon certain projects or groups. Then there are going to be others where we are careful to ensure that we leave things in a more positive way.

In Short:

• In personal projects, where our “No” leaves things overall, should still be a concern for us.
• If this means the end of our involvement with the project or the other designers and developers, and we wish to work with them again, then we should handle this with tact and care.
• If this means the end of our involvement with the project of the other designers and developers, and we do not care to work with them again, then we tend to handle it more bluntly.

Is This a Professional Project?

Now we come to the considerations that you need to weigh when you are working with other designers and developers on a professional project and you have to reject an idea of theirs for one reason or another. Given that on professional projects there tends to be money and contracts involved, you saying “No” can have much heavier repercussions, and therefore deserve even further considerations than have already been discussed.

Who Brought Who On Board?

Just like who the idea belongs to on a personal project can establish a sort of hierarchical structure to the working order, on professional projects, who brought who on board the project can also attach the same structure to it. Now, naturally the client gets to set the pecking order however they see fit, though as a matter of professional courtesy, if you have been brought aboard the project by another, then you might want to first voice any objections you have to them. After all, it could end up reflecting upon them anyway, given that they are the reason you are working on the project. So why not give them a heads up?

Now if we decide that we must tell the others that we are working with that we are not going to comply on something, and we first go to the person who brought us on board, we have to understand that we effectively put our way forward in their hands. If they listen to our concerns and decide that we should not press this issue, but instead compromise, then we might just have to accept that and move on — one way or another. Either by accepting their decision or leaving the project if we feel we must. Or if they decide to push the issue with us, then we at least have an ally as go forward with our concerns. But either way, if we take it to them first, then we are not only acknowledging this hierarchy, we are somewhat agreeing to follow it.

This is not to say we cannot challenge their decision by further voicing our concerns, it just says that once we have acknowledged their position in the structure, going around it tends to come with heavy consequences. This should be known before we proceed.

In Short:

• If we are brought into the project by someone else, then it can reflect on them when we say “No” to the others on the team or refuse to comply.
• It might be considerate to first voice our concerns with the one who brought us on board out of professional courtesy.
• The one who brought us on board can effectively be installed as the one who decides our course forward.

Should This Go Over Any Heads?

Another consideration that we have to make when we are telling the other designers or developers that we are teamed with a “No”, is how far up the proverbial chain should you go? Is there any reason for our concerns or objections to be taken beyond just the other members of our team? Given all that it is involved once again in a professional project, with regards to revenue and contracts, we have to decide if what we find ourselves coming up against warrants full disclosure to the higher ups, or if in fact, this is a concern that could be worked out amongst the team ourselves. Here we tend to let the situations guide and gauge our responses.

For instance, if we are working in a team and another asks us to help cover them by picking up some of their slack, we might be able to decline without it being a big deal. However, if we find that this same person is always asking for our help to pick up their slack, thus effectively dragging the project down with them, then we might have to take our objections a little further and let someone else above us know exactly what is going on. This way they can take the necessary actions to improve on this aspect of the team or project environment. After all, there are bottom lines to be considered.

So there are times when we find that it is simply not enough to tell another member of the team “No”, but that we have to take these objections to others in order for them to have any true impact on the project at hand. This is not always an easy or popular route to take, but it tends to always be the route that best serves the project in the end.

In Short:

• There are times when it is not only appropriate, but it is necessary, to take our objections further than to just a single member of the team, or to just the team itself.
• Given the weight attached to professional projects, sometimes saying “No” to another teammates may not be enough.
• Situational indicators can often determine how high up the chain of command to go with our objections or concerns.

Where are the Deadlines and Relationships?

Another consideration that has to be made when you are telling other designers and developers “No”, especially with a professional, paid project, is the impact your objection will have on the overall project deadline. Now this is not to suggest that you should bite your tongue just to meet the looming project end date, only to say that you should keep this in mind when you handle how to approach this “No”. Your approach is further determined by the status of your working relationship with the others within the team. The stage that you are at and the distance you have between you and deadline can determine how you tackle any project refusals.

If things are just getting started, then the rejection of ideas is natural in what tends to be the brainstorming stages. If you are new to working together, and just getting started there, then again it is natural to reject each others ideas as you feel each other out, even though you may feel reserved and a bit guarded. During the middle of a project or pairing, as things are more entrenched and people are more invested, then telling someone “No” can be trickier. More tact tends to be required and you have to be more willing to propose alternatives not to just reject out of hand. In the latter stages of a project more tends to be required than just a rejection, we have to be willing to explain ourselves. Though in the latter stages of a working relationship, this rejecting of ideas gets easier once again, and less complicated with ego and pride even with a deadline looming.

So where you are at in the project and in the partnership with the other designers and developers can also effect the way your rejection is taken by the other members of your team. And they should also be given their full weight and consideration as you prepare to tell them “No”.

In Short:

• The stage you are at both in the project and the working relationship can effect not only how you approach telling the others “No”, but also how they take it.
• The project deadline should never be out of focus as you discuss your objections, in fact it should define your approach.
• The closer the deadline, the more comprehensive as well as helpful your rejections should be.
• The more developed the working relationship, the easier telling your team members “No” will be.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Just like with the personal projects, in professional ones, you should consider where exactly this saying “No” leaves you. Always ask yourself how this will impact the future. Is this going to have an impact on the rest of your time with this company? Are you going to have to work with these other designers or developers again on future projects? And of course, you always have to ask yourself, do you care if these areas are effected by your decision to decline an idea or say “No” to a project? Though admittedly, the answers to those questions rely heavily on just what it is you are being asked to do that you are turning down.

For instance, if you notice that your company is trending towards taking on clients that you find more and more objectionable (for whatever reason) then you might be fine with letting some bridges burn as you refuse to comply. Even if you know it could mean the end of your time with the company. In which case, be as open and honest as to why you object to the work and be sure that it is gotten on record. However, if you find that it is only one particular project that you find yourself on where you feel you must say “No”, and you do not want it to negatively impact your stay and status with the company and the others you work with, then you might want to find more even-keeled approaches to these refussals.

When it is all said and done, we may not have a choice as to who we are going to be partnered up with from project to project, but as long as we know where we are hoping to end up in the end, then the way forward tends to become clear. Not only that, but the way to handle saying “No” also gets a little easier to see.

In Short:

• Always keep where you want to go from here in mind when you are saying “No” in professional projects, just like in personal ones.
• If you feel like the company you work for is beginning to take on more clients that you object to, and you do not care to remain with the company, be open and honest.
• If you feel like this project that you object to is not the norm, and you wish to not have your refussals hurt your future with the company, be more tactful and less confrontational in your approach.

The Act Itself

Now that all of those other considerations have been made, there are some underlying rules to handling these kinds of refusals that you want to keep in mind. These do not vary much from the rules we talked about in the client post, however they apply here as well so we had to cover them too. The other designers and developers that you are working with, or that you could potentially be working with tend to appreciate when we adhere to these guidelines in our rejections.

The Golden Rule

First things first, whenever you are telling another designer or developer “No”, remember the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you! It applies here as well. We have to remember that whenever we tell someone “No”, there is a chance that they might not take it well. So we need to put ourselves in their places. If you were in their shoes, how would you want this to be done? This should at least ensure that, above all else, we handle these situations with some modicum of respect.

Even if you know that bridges may get burned in the process, as long as we take their feelings into consideration, we will come out of the situation having walked the higher, more respectable road. As we have said before, not many people respond favorably to being told “No” about anything, but if we always come from a place of respect and understanding, no matter what we are met with in return, then we have done all that we can to ease this possible blow. It may not be the easiest approach to take, but it tends to produce some of the best results.

In Short:

• Put yourself in their shoes, and ask how you would like to be treated in their situation.
• Always be respectful when you are telling others “No” — it tends to make the situations less volatile.

The Courtesy Call

Speaking of respect, the next rule of handling these situations tends to come from this same arena, and that is the rule of the courtesy call. This is not always a literal call, as much as it is a virtual heads up, so to speak. You never want to just leave the requests that you have received from other designers and developers unanswered and unaddressed. You should always take a moment and do them the courtesy of getting back to them on whatever issue they have sent you to tackle or provide your take on. But unfortunately, in this fast-paced business environment, timely returns on their requests are not always possible. Couple with that, that usually we are not in any big hurry to forward our rejection so we tend to backburner our ‘No’s rather than send them along in a timely manner.

However, none of this means that we should just give up on getting back to them altogether and just continue to work the project without communicating with the others you are teamed up with that you will not or cannot comply with their request. Often times, when someone from the team reaches out to another member of the team, for most any reason, they will put themselves in somewhat of a holding pattern until they hear back. Causing the project progress to potentially grind to a halt while we ignore the issues or queries sent to us via the team. So we should always take a few moments each day and reply back to any project inquiries or change requests that we have gotten that day, whether we feel like addressing them or not.

In Short:

• Be courteous enough to reply with your declines in a timely manner.
• Do not leave others hanging in a holding pattern because you do not want to tell them “No”.
• Take a few moments out of each day to specifically address any other team member concerns you have been sent.

Never Be Vague

Another rule that makes a huge difference in the refssal arena, is one that we covered in the previous post, but whose relevance remains intact in this case, and that is not beat around the bush with your declines. Often times in order to ease the blow of our disagreement or objection to something in the project, we tend to not be as direct about the whole thing as we should. But you want to be sure that everyone understands that you are giving a definitive “No”, and to do that, we have to make sure that we are not being vague at all, but instead are giving a clear signal that is not going to confuse the issue.

In Short:

• Always be as clear as you can when saying “No” and use concise language to not confuse the issue.
• Do not let your discomfort with deciding to decline allow you to be vague and dance around the issue.
• Everyone always needs to be on the same page, and your decline is no different.

Be Forthcoming When Appropriate

When you are dealing with other designers and developers that you are working with on a project and you feel like you must say “No”, then you want to be as forthcoming with the details as you can appropriately be. If you can, provide them with more than just a “No”, give them a glance at your reasoning. If there is a particularly bothersome element of the project that makes you uncomfortable, they might eliminate this troubling element in favor of bringing you on board or keeping you on board. Naturally, there might be some of the reasons that you wish to keep to yourself, and that is completely acceptable. But when and if you can, provide them with some insight behind your decline.

In Short:

• Try not to just tell them “No”, but to give them a peek at your reasons when appropriate.
• This is not arguing for full disclosure across the board, but some idea as to why you are declining is respectful and appreciated.

The Tone Tells It Like It Is!

Just like we discussed in the last post, any time we are communicating with others, we have to be aware of our tone at all times. This is one of those understood communicative rules, but one that we still tend to forget in this digital age where many of our communications take place in the virtual realm where our tone of voice does not accompany our words, and nearly any tone can be applied over the top of them. This is not always within our control, but it does allow us to remain alert and watch out for our tone to say more than we intend it to. Going over our thoughts or messages before we share them is key for helping to safeguard against this unintended tone attachment.

In Short:

• In communication, especially in today’s digital world, it is quite easy for the tone of our words to be misinterpreted.
• Vet your thoughts and messages for instances where unintended tones can be applied.

That’s That!

That wraps up this side of the discussion, but once again, we turn the topic and the dialog over to you. Feel free to keep dissecting this discussion in the comment section below, or raise any points that you disagree with, not to mention those you feel were not covered enough (if at all). So take the reigns and keep the topic growing below.

Consider Some of our Previous Posts:

• When Designers and Developers Work Together is a post to check out for more on how designers and developers can work alongside one another.
• Improving Client Relations and Enhancing the Work Process: for all of you out there who are having difficulties with clients.
• Breaking Down the Design Process: knowing when the price is right!

(ik)

As many people who work in a creative field like design and development may already know, sometimes our clients just do not understand what it is that we are trying to achieve. The boundaries that we are seeking to push are not ones they approve of for their project, so our creative ideas get backburnered until we can find an appropriate project as well as an agreeable client where you can flex these creative muscles freely. In fact, the standard business processes, especially the ones we allow ourselves to be strapped into, tend to work against us in this aspect.

Allow me to elaborate. For most creatives, the most genuine and innovative ideas can often come without provocation. Which is unfortunate, because that tends to relegate these ideas to one of two categories. The personal project category that we get to whenever we find the time to break away from our work plates to snack on something different. Or to the professional project pool where we wait on that client who will allow us the freedom to incorporate this idea into their project. At other times, the ideas we have tend to be in response to the client, their business or something they have laid down — some sort of foundation — for us to build upon. These ideas are somewhat prompted.

Don’t just wait for the aces! Image by fitzsean

Now this is not to say that the prompted ideas are any less potent or powerful than the ones that we arrived at alone, only that the ones we get to by ourselves tend to be more imaginative and exciting in our eyes as those are the ones we feel unencumbered by the clients rules or specs. Which also means that they are the ones that we get to work less on due to the fact that we have to pay the bills, and in most cases, that means some kind of compromise on the part of the creative mind. We can say that we think outside the box on every project, but we have to admit that when a client comes to us, they have one or two ideas in the bucket ready and those specs can be considered somewhat of a box that we must work in.

That Is Just How Business Works

Now I know that there are some who are scratching their heads, knowing that this is just the way how business works, and they are confused at to what exactly we are asking them to consider. And yes, we understand that this is the standard way by which this game is played. Businesses have needs — they turn to other experts or specialists to have these needs met. They explain exactly what it is they are looking for, and the experts comply, delivering the experience that hopefully surpasses the client’s expectations. But what if we could change the standard rules of gameplay here on a much wider scale, affording this much freer approach to any designer or developer who wished to truly work unhindered.

Think outside the box! Image by west.m

Just a quick note: this article is not trying to say that working with all clients is a dull, innovation adjacent venture, or even trying to say that you will never have to work under these more standard rules of gameplay. But we usually have ideas of our own — ideas that we would love to see through without having to compromise or consult with a client or anyone else for that matter to approve what we are doing.

Think of it like the difference in a movie director working independently on a film rather than working for a major studio. They have much more freedom to make the film as they see fit, without any interference from above. For a while this was an approach that not many designers or developers have thought to not be feasible, but that is all changing.

Thanks, by and large, to the avenues being created by and granted access to by the Web.

The Game Changer

Before now, and in some ways still, we have always had to take our ideas to someone else in order to help us make them happen. We had to reach beyond ourselves to find those with the means and know-hows to reach further than we had access in order to get our idea out to the masses and have it connect with the audience. Essentially, we had to sell our idea to someone else in order to get distribution and manufacturing. However, the Web is granting creatives the chances to write their own opportunities, and make things happen for themselves, without having to depend on someone else.

Understanding that the term “sellout” tends to carry negative connotations, but what I mean is that we have to pitch the idea and someone has to buy in order for it to happen. When they buy, that tends to put them in the controlling seat. They hold the final say over the outcome of the project, or even where the project ends up. For some creatives, that compromise alone can take a lot of the fun and excitement out of the equation. But without those buyers, the project would tend to remain an unrealized effort. So there has been an underlying coercion for creatives to play the game and compromise their ideas when necessary in order to connect with the masses.

Plan your game – several moves ahead. Image by DoubleM2

Enter the Web, and services like Kickstarter, communities like YouTube and Vimeo, and suddenly the middle men that we needed to make our innovative ideas a reality, are not as much of a necessity as they once were. There is a great article by Ryan Carson that highlighted two examples of just how those in creative fields who are no longer waiting for opportunity to knock, instead create those opportunities for themselves. And in these cases, what remains important is that they remain the ones calling the shots.

Now I know there are those who think that this is approach is a complete waste of time. However, already today there are creatives who are just as equally excited about this evolved approach which allows them to completely take the reigns of their creative projects. So below we have taken a look at both the benefits offered and challenges posed by this new gameplay structure to help better see what exactly this approach means and entails.

The Benefits

First, we are going to look at the pros to taking charge of our creations and marching forward with them on our own as the masters of our own destiny. If you are one of those who is on the fence about this whole issue, or even if you are standing firmly against it, perhaps this section will have you rethinking things and getting you to come down on the side for it.

Shot-Caller

This has already been mentioned in the article; however, given its weight, it deserves a deeper examination of just what makes it so important. For most of us in the design and development fields, we have had to work with a client whose lack of understanding of the field can negatively impact the resulting project once their uncompromising input has been implemented. This can hugely effect our resulting takeaway and perspective with which we begin to view our chosen fields. Especially, if we find project after project that comes with compromise after compromise. This can effectively end up sapping our excitement and stifling our creative energy.

You’re your own boss and choose your own target. Image by HikingArtist.com

Another side effect these compromises can have is that we end up having to lose some truly innovative element of the project because of the client’s wishes, and our work can somewhat reflect a staleness on our parts as a result. When users see the final design and interact with it, they only see the compromised end result. They do not see the processes or the decisions and conditions that ultimately led to a creation that could essentially be much less than its potential. And it is this end result that is looked upon as the limits of our abilities. Client’s input is useful and necessary, but sometimes it’s not exactly what is best for our users. And yes, design is not art, but a medium for delivering messages across, but as designers we are often quite restricted by the decisions made for us, not with us.

But when we are the one who is calling all of the shots, our creative energy can flow freely, and our imaginations are subject to no one’s approval or standards. And there are those who would say that using a service like Kickstarter, where you outline a project and potential investors commit to contributions to fund your creative venture, does not put you in the driver’s seat per se, as you are still having to “sell” your idea. However, the big difference is that the sponsors and investors you get via Kickstarter do not expect to be able to provide some kind of creative input. You are the one in control.

This also means that you are the one in control of the timeline for when and if the project sees the light of day. This can be key, as there are times in the design and development fields when those elements are out of our hands and they end up derailing the project far from its potential or intended destinations. There are times when we work so hard on a project and have put so much into it until we have molded it to what we feel is perfection, only to turn it over and have it altered or never see the light of day. Consequently, there are times when we feel (for whatever reason) that a project just will not come together and should be abandoned, but we can’t drop it, so the end result is a sub-par product that nobody is actually happy with. In this field of play, those calls are all ours.

In Short:

• You have to deal with less compromises that sap your enthusiasm and excitement for both the project and your field.
• Your reputation does not suffer from compromises the client forced us to make.
• You do not have to worry about outside interference, our imagination is not subject to approval.
• Your project outcome is completely in your hands, and your hands alone.

Time and Money Saver

It may seem like somewhat of a contradiction that this approach could actually save time and money, but when you look at the first example of designer Frank Chimero and his design book that he now can completely finance via Kickstarter, you can see how this approach can do just that. More often than not, in order to get a book published and distributed within what is commonly seen as the mainstream, you would first have to spend weeks, possibly months, writing and rewriting both the outline for the book and the book proposal (not to mention the numerous e-mails, phone calls and meetings with possible publishers). All of which is done without any guarantee of being published and distributed.

Frank Chimero’s project “The Shape of Design” on Kickstarter.

In the end, all of the time that is taken to write up these proposals and outlines for the books take away from the time we spend on billable work. And in some cases, the entire book or some parts of it must first be written before we are able to get any interest from publishers or distributors. So that time has to be accounted for as well. But by harnessing the Web and social media, we can now find the means to publish and distribute the book on our own — without consuming much time and often the costly process of seeking out and involving the proverbial middle men in the project. For instance, Smashing Magazine produces printed books independently, without the middle man, and so can you.

This is a big step forward, and helps to connect the potential investors directly to the creative individuals, without the compromised hands of the mainstream middle men getting into the project, which simply feels more conducive to innovation. Compromised decisions can end up hurting the project’s potential. This can also mean that we will end up with less forced input which can lead to time consuming revision after time consuming revision which could end up compromising the overall impact of the message. Which might further translate into lost sales. Therefore, we can see huge savings in both time and costs by opting for this new paradigm.

In Short:

• We can save a lot of time, which tends to equal money, in both the initial and final project stages via this route.
• Taps potential investors directly into the source of ideas, without any agendas or middle men getting in the way.

Smoother Sailing in the Client Pool

Now, one possible benefit that we could see spring forth from this approach is the higher chances of landing dream clients. This may seem a bit far fetched, but if there were more designers and developers writing their own opportunities and launching their own projects then that is going to create interest in the client pool, right? Essentially, going the route, you can effectively choose between working on a client’s project or creating your own which you could put in your portfolio or even gain some exposure with and consequently connect with some potential clients.

Besides, since you are engaging your heart and soul into your project, you are more likely to produce a remarkable product — a product that will help you gain new insights, learn new creative fields and leave a mark in the design community. You can also create a well-respected name for yourself. And it’s certainly worth trying.

Profit-Sharing

One of the biggest problems that anyone working in any creative field faces, is the undervaluing of their time and talents. This can come either in the guise of those who simply do not see the value of what we do, or in the form of those who capitalize on our creativity without having contributed to the creative process in any way. Whatever form it may take, it means that someone is profiting off of your creativity.

Now, there are cases when there is a service attached to it that we could not handle ourselves. Back in the day, distribution was one of the main incentives that creative persons had to aligning themselves with this model in which they create the product, and do not get to see the majority of the profits from the project. Designers and developers have been signing on with company that provided them with the space and tools they need to do the work for years because of the sheer cost it saves them. Only to sacrifice shares of the profits from their work, not to mention the ability to do the work that they necessarily want the way they want it. But again, this is not the only paradigm on the market anymore.

You want to organize a design conference and sell tickets for it? There are services for you. You’d like to build up a shop from ground up? Again, there are tools for you. You don’t have to rely on anybody, but instead you can just put together everything you need and leverage the potential of social media to back up your projects.

Natasha Westcoat creates live online paintings. She saves herself the percentages that galleries, art dealers and online intermediaries, might charge if she sold the work through them.

With no middle men to have to share the profits with, this new approach can also allow us to get the bulk of the revenues generated from the projects that we have created. In the example provided in Ryan’s article, Natasha Westcoat’s live online paintings, not only does she save herself the time and effort of seeking a gallery show to find buyers, she saves herself the percentages that galleries, art dealers and online intermediaries, might charge if she sold the work through them. Here, she controls the profits. So it is exciting to see that the old profit share piggyback model is not the only path in which designers and developers find themselves in these days given the reach and access afforded to them by the Web.

In Short:

• With this new model, the person who is generating and creating the idea is the one who will reap the majority of the rewards from their work, as it should be.
• No longer do we have to share the majority of our profits with those who offer us services that help spread the word — not create it.
• With the middle men gone, the revenues can be more evenly and fairly distributed.

The Challenges

Anyone who is seriously considering taking on the “independent” route, needs to understand that there might be some challenges in the road ahead. These are serious considerations that should be made before moving forward.

Weight of the World

Most of the time that we take on a project, there are going to be some elements of that cause us some bit of stress. Be it the timeline, those we are working with or compromises made. But we tend to be somewhat compartmentalized in the project and therefore our stress levels tend to be as well. If there is stress involved in the project, we can bet that we are only experiencing a fraction of that stress through the buffers provided by the numerous rungs in the ladder above us. Also, because we are usually stacked somewhere in a hierarchy, the instigators of the stress are somewhat abstracts to us. For example, if we are working with a big company, we tend to not have to interact with the client or public directly, it is done through a series of intermediaries. So when they are upset, we get hints of that, but not necessarily the brunt of it.

No matter where, the burden is the same. Image by Kristian Bjornard

This is not the case when we are stepping up as the masters of our projects. We have no buffers or barriers which allow us to compartmentalize any of it. We are baring the full weight of this world on our shoulders, and are not shielded from the reactions of the public. It all rests on us. Every cog in the process, from creation to marketing, from production to distribution is our responsibility. Either we have to handle it ourselves, or we have to find the right people to put into those roles to ensure that it all goes smoothly and according to plan. If it doesn’t, the blame will fall on you and your reputation — no one else’s. Also, we need to makke certain decisions that we don’t necessarily know much about: e.g. if you decide to print a book, what about fulfillment and support?

This can admittedly be a terrifying step to take, especially when you have never worked through all aspects of the project process before. If you are not strong in marketing, or have never actually overseen the production step by step, doing these tasks for the first time can seem overwhelming. And it is easy to see why many would rather play it safer instead of working on a more demanding and involved approach. For many of us, no benefit is enough to willingly accept the entire weight of the project on our shoulders.

In Short:

• If you pick the “independent” route, you are responsible for everything, and you alone will own each of the project’s successes and failures.
• No matter where your strengths are lacking, you have to find ways to fill those gaps and pick up that slack to ensure the project succeeds.
• You have no buffers to the reactions and fallouts from the project — you have to deal with it all directly.

Confidence Factor

Another consideration that must be understood is that you are not selling the idea alone, you are also promoting yourself. Which is where confidence comes into play pretty heavily. It is easy to have faith in an idea and be able to get others to sign on and ascribe to that idea through the confidence that you are reflecting in it. However, when you are the head of the pyramid, it is not just faith in the idea that all parties involved need, everybody needs to have faith in the main person behind it.

That faith in oneself is harder to project with enough confidence to necessarily have others clamoring at your heels wanting to throw in on the proverbial backing bandwagon. And given that many of us might not be used to having to promote ourselves and effectively market ourselves in order to make a project happen, this could be a necessary adjustment. It is one thing to effectively market ourselves into a job, where we are pitted against other individuals, but in this case, we are marketing ourselves against an entire, well, market. It is not just about the idea, but about our ability to make it real. Whereas now we are competing with what can be seen as more financially stable companies, not just the ideas they are pitching.

As part of a company, when we go forth with an idea, there is a reputation behind us, more than just our own. When we do it alone — not so much. So once again it is easy to understand how this could act as a deterrent. On the other side, it might as well be an area that not deters you, but vividly alerts you to something that you are going to need to work on before you move ahead.

In Short:

• It is not just the idea under scrutiny, but your ability to make it happen as well.
• You must be able to effectively position and market yourself and your project against the rest of the market.
• You do not have any other reputation backing the project other than your own.

No End in Sight

Finally, you must consider that if you are going to try and create your own opportunities and run with them, you will be running for a long, long time. When you are the one spearheading the entire project, and overseeing all facets of the process, there is no end of the line where you just get to hand it over and then move on to the next project. You have to stick with this project and ride it out for the entire reach and life of the project. No matter where it leads, you have signed on to following, and that could prove to be a very long haul indeed. Somewhere, that road could potentially keep going, always requiring some level of dedication, if not participation, on your part.

Can you picture the end? Image by N3T1O

This could effectively undo any of the time saved benefit that got you looking favorably at this idea in the first place. So you have to look reasonably at the long term time investments and consider how much time the project could require to completely determine if the project will be worthwhile to pursue. Keep in mind that the project will eventually endure beyond their initial projected commitments, althought the exact details depend on the project itself. And it would be better to realize this before beginning and getting others to commit, so that the project does not fall short of its potential because you actually underestimated your own project.

In Short:

• You may have to be willing to commit to it for however long the project survives to maintain its integrity.
• There is no point at which you should be expecting to be able to just cut and run from the project without seeing it through to the absolute end.

In the End

Doing things on your own is risky but worthwhile. There is certainly some merit to creating your own opportunities. The tools are available; the medium for connecting with friends, colleagues and like-minded people is available; and you can freely explore your creativity and skills using both of them. I honestly believe that this new culture we observe today might change the rules of the game and I anxiously wait to see what interesting new developments spring up as a result. Please share your opinion in the comments section below.

(sp) (al)

© Robert Bowen for Smashing Magazine, 2011. | Permalink | Post a comment | Smashing Shop | Smashing Network | About Us
Post tags: business, creativity, freelance, Inspiration, wokflow

For the most part, working in the design and development communities can often leave you feeling like somewhat of a ‘Yes’ person. That person who stands behind the client, nodding in agreement and understanding as the path to the project unfolds before you. For in this business, it pays to wear this agreeable hat. It helps the client begin to see us an ally in their mission, someone who they can work with to make their project see the proverbial light of day, not have to work around so to speak.

When they see us filling the role of the ‘Yes’ person, the client is often put at ease and they can feel less guarded around us. This tends to make it easier for them to communicate their ideas as they feel like we are less likely to challenge them on any of it. They can be free to explore their ideas in what feels like a safe atmosphere. However, there comes a time in our careers that we have to step outside of that role and tell the client ‘No’. Suddenly that client comfort zone is challenged, which means we have to proceed with care. It is not as simple as just saying ‘No’.

These situations can be a bit delicate, especially since we are usually in the more submissive role as the employed. Clients are not often used to being told ‘No’ about anything in this corporate culture of “the customer is always right” that has its hold in the business world today. Besides, just because we have had to switch gears over to the ‘No’ side does not mean that we are prepared for the working relationship to come to a close. Which if we are not tactful in the least, then that may be precisely where things go once we say ‘No’. Below is a look at some of the ways we can let a client down easy without risking current or future projects.

Just For Clarification…

We are not attempting to paint all or any clients with an unreasonable brush here. We are simply saying that there are times when hearing a ‘No’ can be a deal breaker, and if not handled correctly can leave a bad taste in the client’s mouth, which will return each time they speak your name. And that is just not good for business. We do not want to get a reputation for being disagreeable, but we also know that there are times when the client has to be told ‘No’ — whether they like it or not.

And let’s be honest, each of us can have a tendency to get defensive or somewhat hurt when we are told ‘No’, so why should we not expect for our clients to feel this same tinge of rejection and react to it occasionally. After all, we are all just people. And when we are paying for a service, we often do not expect those whom we are paying, to tell us ‘No’ when we ask for anything we deem within reason. Sometimes, our clients are in this same boat, and unless we tend to the situation cautiously, it can have a lingering effect.

There are many reasons for saying “No”. One of them is a job burnout. Image Credit

Considering the Client Type

Is this a new or existing client? Because the way you handle them will generally be different depending on which category of client they fall into. If this is a new client or potential client, then you are going to tend to maintain a more professional edge to your decline that might also tend towards the dishonest end of the spectrum. Whereas if you are dealing with an existing client where the relationship is much more established and comfortable, then you might have a more relaxed approach that tends towards the open and honest side of things.

For example, if you are taking time off to go to Comic Con and because of this you cannot take on any new work, you might avoid the full details of the situation as you decline taking the task from a potential or new client. Mainly out of fear of this effecting the way they view your dedication or professionalism, and in turn your company. However, if you are dealing with an existing client, being more personal, and in this case more honest, might feel like the more comfortable path to take. After all, they will already have an idea formed about you and your company that will likely not be impacted negatively by this decline.

So the client’s status, as it were, does come into play when you are determining the best way to tackle telling them ‘No’, it is often not just a black and white situation. Where they sit on the spectrum can steer the direction we need to go in when it comes to declining their wishes, and that consideration cannot be dismissed.

In Short:

• Whether the client is a new client or an existing one can impact how you handle these situations.
• New clients tend to require more of a professional approach, whereas with existing clients we can tend to be a little bit more laid back.
• The more personal the reasons we have to say no, the more likely the white lie is the better option over the truth to maintain that professional edge.

Consider the Project Stage

Where exactly are you in the project when the situation arises? Because this can also heavily weigh in on how you handle telling the client ‘No’. If it is in the initial stages, meaning the client is just contacting you to ask you to come on board, that is quite a different situation than being in the middle of a project and having an instance crop up where you have to tell the client ‘No’. If things have not gotten started, then you can feel free to skirt around the truth and be as blase as you feel you need to. However, if you are in the middle of the project, then it is usually of utmost importance that you be completely up front and honest with the client as to why you cannot comply with what they have asked.

The easiest way to see the distinction here is by using an example where you feel that complying with the client’s request, would cross either a personal or professional line that you have decided that you would never cross. For instance, if a client approached you to do a sexually explicit site, and you or your company were opposed to doing so, you could easily turn them down and be as up front with why you declined or not. However, if you have already been hired and contracts are in place, when the client asks you to add some sort of sexually explicit elements to the project, then you have an obligation to honestly address why you feel you must decline.

So how far along the project has progressed can also set the tone for how to approach this oft times delicate situation, and govern exactly how honest you should be with them. Generally, the further along you have gone down the path with the client, the more they deserve to know the full reasoning behind your decisions to decline their offers or wishes.

In Short:

• The stage that the project is in also plays a part on the how this situation gets handled.
• If the project is just getting underway, then skirting around the truth or avoiding some details is usually not as big a deal.
• If the project is already in progress and you have to tell the client no, then you should be as honest and up front as you comfortably can be.

Rules of the Refusal

Now beyond the considerations that we have to make in order to judge the situation correctly for determining our approach, we also have to remember that there are a few rules that we can adhere to so that our refusals to the client are perhaps more digestible, and overall easier to swallow. Below are a few of these proverbial pointers for making the rejection have less of a lasting negative impact on both you and the client.

Do Not Leave Them in the Lurch

The first tip, and one of the most important when it comes to telling a client ‘No’ without having to suffer any repercussions, is to always recommend another course of action for the client to take. Rather than simply giving them roadblocks, offer them solutions to help them find their way once more. If you are turning down work, then point them towards others in the field whom you trust to take care of their needs. Often this kindness will be remembered by the client in the future, not to mention by the other design/development team you directed them to as well.

If you are in the middle of a project and have to tell them that you won’t be able to comply with their demands, then provide them with alternatives that you can do to still get their project where they want and need it to go. Doing so might just be the sugar needed to help make this medicine go down, so to speak. To sell them on another direction you need to be able to make it look as attractive to them as the idea they proposed, so do not try to go at this blind. Take in what they have said, and let them know that you will get back to them on this once you have fully considered what it is they are asking for. This will give you the time you need to formulate workable alternatives to present to them.

Wherever you are in the project, try not to be just another problem that they have to get around by telling them ‘No’. Try to be the provider of solutions that they had not yet considered instead.

In Short:

• When telling a client ‘No’, try to offer some other routes that they might take.
• It is always better to offer detours rather than simply putting up roadblocks, this helpfulness will tend to be remembered.
• Take in their request and do not get back to them immediately, this gives you time to formulate an alternative to provide them with.

Always Be Aware of Tone

Now this next tip might seem like a bit of a given, but we thought that we ought to bring it up anyway just to air on the side of caution. That is to always be aware of your tone of voice, or just the overall tone of the discussion. And more than just the tone, you want to fully consider how all of your words will come across and be received by the client. This is not always an easy task, but it is by far, one of the more necessary ones to tackle. There are many ways that tone can interpreted and words can be taken that spell trouble for your company, so getting to know the client is a big part of understanding how your words will go over.

This comes even more into play if all of your communication with the client is done visually via e-mails and messaging, not audibly or in person where tone is easier to discern. It is harder to get a handle on the nuances that could be read into your messages that you in no way intended. Given the circumstances, that you are essentially rejecting the client or their ideas, knowing the tone that gets attached to your dialogs is even more critical. You do not want the client walking away from the situation with the idea that you were disrespecting them, so that is the lingering feeling they have when they are asked about their experience with your company.

Read through, or go over in your head, the way that you plan to let the client down, so that you can try to assess any negative tones or hints to a lack of respect that could be gotten from somewhere in your words!

In Short:

• The tone we use when telling the client ‘No’ might communicate more than we intend, so we need to be mindful of it.
• When communication with the client is done online or via e-mail, then the tone that can be read into it needs to be considered as well.
• Take the time to vet your comments or reread your messages to ensure that no negative connotations could be interpreted from them that could hurt your professionalism.

Rejection Reassurance

The next tip for tactfully telling the client ‘No’ might seem a bit placatory, and for all intents and purposes, it pretty much is, but that does not lessen its importance in this discussion in any way. This tip has to do with rejection reassurance. What we mean by that is that you want to be sure, especially if you wish to possibly work with this client in the future, that you reassure them that this bump in the road is not where you wish things to end. You want to impart to the client that this is simply a matter of bad timing or circumstances, and that perhaps in the future they should call on you again to see if things will be a better fit at that time.

Make sure they know that even if you have to reject them now, that you might be a good fit for a future project. Image Credit

Now granted, rejection is rejection, and most of us whether we like to admit it or not, do not take it that great. We should expect the same from our clients. And if you are in the middle of a project and your telling them ‘No’ spells the end of your part of said project, you can expect even more potential fallout from this rejection. But as long as we let the client know honestly why we cannot comply, and that we would like to perhaps try to work with them again in the future on something else, then we have done all that we can to perhaps mend any sores we may have opened in the process.

Under these circumstances it is hard to judge how the rejection is going to impact future relations with that client, but if we go ahead and take the proverbial first step towards repairing this breach through this subtle reassurance then hopefully the rejection will not have a lasting reach.

In Short:

• If you wish to work with the client again, then reassure them that you turning them down now is not the end of the road, or at least it is not where you wish things to end.
• This is about softening the blow that most of us tend to feel whenever we get rejected.
• We have to understand that no matter how we attempt to sugar coat things, telling the client no might have consequences that we will have to accept.

What Best Serves the Project

The next tip that we have is also one that seems placatory to the client, but it can prove useful for removing some of the edge that telling the client ‘No’ can come with. And that is to always convey to the client that your choices are reflective of what best serves their endgame. After all, that is what they are presumably seeking to begin with. So as long as you let them know that your decision to turn down their request or job is because it is in the best interest of the project, then they are less likely to negatively react to this rejection or non-compliance.

Now we said less likely because there are always wild cards, and some clients are not going to take too kindly to hearing ‘No’ regardless of how you dress it up. Especially if that ‘No’ interrupts their progress in any way. But when you are turning them down in the middle of a job, providing alternatives as we already suggested, and you are doing so because you feel that it would be better for the project to take a different approach, then the clients tend to be less resistant to hearing you out. Especially if you can provide them a better way to serve their project in the end, and not delay their deadline by causing them to have to bring in someone else and catch them up to speed, then they might be willing to trust in your expertise.

In Short:

• When we have to tell the client ‘No’, by making our decisions based on what serves the project best it tends to be easier for the client to take.
• This may not render the situation salvageable, but it tends to put the client in a more receptive mood for hearing you out.

Do Not Beat Around the Bush

Finally, the last bit of advice that we have to offer on telling a client ‘No’, is to do the professional thing and do not beat around the proverbial bush. If you are going to turn them down or reject an idea, do it directly and clearly. Do not waste their time or yours dancing around the topic trying to avoid the direct confrontation, assuming that they understood you to mean ‘No’. You are unnecessarily prolonging the situation to try and ease out of the discomfort, when really you are causing more distress all around by avoiding the issue.

In Short:

• Do not dance around the issue when telling a client ‘No’.
• Always be clear and make sure that everyone is on the same page, so there is no confusion.

Last Thought

That wraps up the discussion of the ideas on this side, but now, as always, we turn the dialogue over to you. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on ways to tell a client ‘No’ in the comment section below. What ways have you found that work the best? Which, if any, of the ways that we discussed have you used in the past, or do you plan to use in the future? What suggestions do you have for designers and developers who face this work issue?

Consider Some of Our Previous Posts

• How To Explain To Clients That They Are Wrong is a post from our vaults that covers close to this same topic and might be one you also wish to consider.
• How To Convince The Client That Your Design Is Perfect is another post from Smashing’s past that might hold a helpful hint or two in this respect.
• Do You Want Fries With That Logo? is a great article elaborating ways on how to learn to say ‘No’ instead of rushing through projects.

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