Episode 12: Getting Design Approval Podcast

Would you like to know design approval tips and tricks? Welcome aboard the Boagworld Web Show with Paul, Marcus and Leigh Howells, who are already there.

The guys run their 'getting design approval podcast' from the IWMW which is the Institutional Web Managers Workshop. It’s a good conference, where they hear some really interesting talks.

Why is the question of how to get design approval raised in a series about running your business?

Because it’s one of the biggest unknown expenses in a business. If you are a design agency, you often think about the people that end up doing multiple versions because a client asked for them or people that go through endless iterations. Iterations are killers to your profitability because they are unpredictable. Even with three variations, if you always do that for clients, at least you know how long the work will take and are then able to budget it into the project. While iterations are completely unknown, getting design approval is really important!

So, the first question.

‘How do you deal with the same obvious pushbacks such as ‘make your logo bigger’ or ‘I don’t like the color’? Inevitably these kinds of predictable things crop up again and again. How do you deal with that kind of stuff?

After concluding the discussion, Paul, Marcus and Leigh start a new one concerning the issue of showing your design to the client. To deal with this, the podcasters have to dig deeper into the key issue of what actually constitutes a “design” - (sketches, Y frames, prototypes, comps, mood boards, etc.)

The next question is ‘How do you deal with clients that start micro-managing design?’

Then they move on to the best approach for avoiding “design by committee”.

There is also the great question: ‘What should we cover when presenting a design?’ You will get the answer to that as well.

Wrapping up the show, our pals tell their listeners that the following week they are going to be looking at growing your business, which is obviously a big thing. They are going to be joined by Jeremy Keith to discuss this.