We are working on a pitch for someone creative these days (more details to follow – promise).
When dealing with a creative person (say for example a painter, a photographer, a singer, an actor) I think we all tend to go design crazy – just because we think it suits the identity of the product/ person. What we seem to be forgetting is that a website is not there for the client. It should be there for the user.
User – centered design is a phrase that I seem to be hearing from absolutely everyone these days (and I have to say that most work I’ve seen lately is very well- researched beforehand in terms of audiences and usability). However most comms and design studios – especially when dealing with clients that don’t have a lot of web experience – have the hard task of convincing their client that the user comes first.
I had this chat with Manolis – the other half of SoMaFusion – and we both think that a website is a tool and not a vanity project. It’s down to us to educate clients and help them understand their audiences and their needs.
Getting a bit cheeky as we were chatting I pushed him in the end to tell me what he would do if the client just refused to understand and pushed us for an over-designed website. “We can’t do that”, he said. “It’s not us. We do simple – smart – sensible. They should find someone else”.
Which pretty much explains why we work together.
Written by: Sofia a.k.a. the Wordsmith Comments