Design and its variations. Valuing a designer and their work most certainly reflects one’s own aesthetic and approach. But too often, those of us making decisions as fundraisers and marketers will go from the “I like” and assume it works for whatever whomever we are selling or promoting.  It is incredibly important that as we make decisions about how things look we are constantly mindful of how/why we respond to something. Again, there is a real problem when we assume that because “I like it,” the product will reach and move the intended audience the same way.

With this in mind, as fundraisers/marketers, we usually have to work and hire and pay designers to design our stuff.  How then do we separate our like (and often our deep personal affection/connection with a particular person) with our end goal of raising money or getting an idea promoted?

Here are my general rules when thinking about hiring a consultant and bringing a product to the market.

1) They must be smart. Their work must reflect a very broad and deep understanding of design, its history, form and function

2) The ratio of listening and asking questions must out weigh their telling me what they will do. I am paying you, you’ll do what I ask. However, you will never get the job if you are unable to listen and get a really good sense of what and why and how my organization works.

In my experience, you can tell a good consultant (regardless of the discipline) from a bad one, when the talking at you is less than the listening/questions. And combine that with technical mastery of the craft, respect within the field and then you know you have a good consultant and you need to trust the process.

3) Finally, they must at the end of the day, whatever our design decisions are, be respectful and follow our (however horribly conceived) directions. (Nudges are appreciated, but design decisions are made with many different factors (some very strange) and know that logic may not be in play anymore.)

4) When the opportunity arises (and force it if it doesn’t) – TEST. If you know which audience you want to reach, let a sample test drive the product and give feedback.