Present It Like You Mean It

June 29, 2011

Being able to present your own work is a core design skill. If you’re working somewhere that won’t let you present your own work, get out of there.

Though I believe in designers presenting their own work, let’s face it, some of us are better at presentation than others. I’ve been presenting design to clients and internal teams for years, and I still get nervous about it. Here are some tips in presenting creative design that help me get to my happy place.

1. Be Prepared
Be proud of what you are presenting and be ready to impress. Have a script or outline prepared to guide you.

If you aren’t ready, postpone until you are. Just tell the truth. “I need to postpone this presentation because the work’s not at the level I’d like it to be and I don’t want to waste your time.” Rescheduling is a pain, but it can be handled properly and is easier to recover from than presenting something less than quality. Every good designer should be proud of the work they present and a client will respect you more if they can see that from you.

2. Sell It
Stop trying to get your clients to “understand design” and show them that you understand what they hired you to do. Explain how your choices will make them more successful. Don’t HOPE they “get it”; show that you understand them.

3. Don’t Let It Get Too Subjective
Define how your work meets the goals of the project. Explain how the client’s voice is coming through. Save the word “like” for Facebook and focus groups.

4. Give The Client Permission To Not Like It
Self-esteem is always on the line. Suck it up and permit someone to not like what you did. Never play the “talented sensitive creative” and get defensive. Listen and adapt. Negative feedback is an essential part of the process. We prefer constructive and well reasoned feedback but sugar-coating a negative response just wastes time.

5. Avoid a Real Estate Tour
This is a big one. The presenter will start by telling you where the logo is, then take you on a guided tour of every element on the page, winding up at the copyright notice in the footer. Don’t do this! It’s a waste of time pointing out what they can see right in front of them. Your job is to explain what they’re looking at is the best way to achieve their goals.

6. Never Embarrass Your Client.
Respect your client, their opinion and their comments. These may be the people putting your kids through college.

• « previous entry
• all entries
• next entry »