There are three elements that enable a designer to turn a blank sheet of paper into something wonderful. The first is his innate creativity. The second is information. The third is time. Out of the three, time is the element that he has the least influence over, yet time is essential for him to be able to use the other two effectively.
I’m not talking about billable time here. I’m talking about thinking time. Thinking time is different than billable time. The best ideas often don’t come when the clock is ticking. They come when your favourite designer is sat in traffic, or in the shower, or walking the dog.
Thinking time starts the minute a project is briefed to him. Once the seed of your project is planted in a designer’s subconscious he’s working on it whether he knows it or not. From that moment, the things he sees, the people he meets and the places he visits act like filters, subtly colouring his thinking and helping shape the ideas will will bring magic to the brief. He may not be in the studio. He may not even be in the country, but he’s subconsciously working on your brief (and he’s not billing you). Remember, this is not billable time, it’s thinking time. Here’s a tip; give him more of it.
The cynics will say ‘But designers will always want more time’. They’re right, but they’re also missing the point. In this case more time doesn’t necessarily equate to more money.
When people leave it late to brief a designer, they are effectively choosing to pay the same money for work that is less good than it could have been.
Makes you think doesn’t it.