In house design: the fine art of tightrope walking

"There are no bad clients, only clients turned into bad clients by bad designers."

A shocking sentence for any designer to read, the above quote is taken from Adrian Shaughnessy's latest book called How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul. I bought this book in early January, and was eagerly reading through the chapters until I came upon the above line. The very idea that I could be responsible for bad clients stopped me dead in my tracks. Have I been a bad designer? Have I helped to foster bad behaviour in the people who come to me for help?

This question has been plaguing over the last couple weeks, evading any simple explanation that would make it easier to digest. I could write off the declaration, arguing that Shaughnessy was talking to designers running their own businesses. But what about in house designers? What about those teams of people that make up a department within an organization or corporation? Does this statement pertain them as well?

The more I think about it, working as an in house designer is quite similar to walking a tightrope. It's a delicate balancing act—get it right, and you're a sensation. Everyone loves you. Get it wrong, and you're plummeting to your death while people gaze on in horror. In house designers face the daily battle of working to make sure the client's needs are met whilst holding true to the standards of the brand. I am constantly faced with strange demands and requests, things that do not fit within the identity of the organization, and I struggle to find a visual solution that suits both parties. More often than not, this balancing act produces mediocre work that appeals to no one in particular and the client is left with a vague sense that I am not doing my job effectively.

From a safe distance, far away from the boardrooms and meetings and my overflowing email inbox, I can calmly view this problem, knowing that the answer lies in getting to the root of what the client needs, and then marrying those needs with the brand. It seems simple, doesn't it? But what if the client really wants a purple spotted cow, whilst the organization's key visual is a green striped sheep? Do you find the common link between the two and present the green striped sheep with an explanation as to why this visual is better? What if the client still wants a purple spotted cow? Do you give in at that point, let it slide and pick up the battle some other time? Or do you hold true to what the organization is trying to say, breeding frustration in the client?

As I said before, it's a death-defying balancing act. Let's hope I make it to the other side unscathed.