Like I mentioned in a previous post, we like to give our clients design choices to review and from those choices we (both client and designer) are able to develop the final design rather quickly. Website designs, brochure cover designs, and logo designs are all usually delivered to the client after 3 or 4 initial concepts are reviewed and then tweaked. Before we send our clients the preliminary design concepts to review, the graphic designers will send them to those staff members involved with the project for internal review.

As the key designer for a project, after about the 3rd design creativity starts to slow, ideas start to fade, and as the design problem begins to move forward to a solution, we are ready to move on to the next “problem”. Well, more often than not the request to do just one or two more designs comes through and immediate slouching of shoulders and uttering of sighs begins… for me at least. But, I know what will happen. After some time spent away from the project, stretching of legs and wrists, and hopefully some useful feedback for this “just one more” design, work begins.

And, while I haven’t been keeping record, I would bet money that the client, designer, and internal staff choose this “just one more” design. Why? While I have no proven answer, I would surmise that by the time you have worked through 3 or 4 designs you are ready to actually begin the final. Very similar to a musician tuning up before a performance or an athlete stretching before a big game. Artists are no different. Our creative mind needs to kick in, the left-side to right-side brain switch needs to occur, and we need to fall into the “zone”. Sometimes we nail the design on the first round, but I would again bet money that careful thought and planning have been going on for some time and that “careful thought and planning” is the warming up, the stretching our of creativity that moves the final design from a pile of elements to a final harmonized piece. 

As a professional advertising copywriter at DDA, I am responsible for developing creative and effective copy for website designs, brochure designs, and direct mail pieces, scripts for video and animation production, and much more. I must be flexible enough to switch topic, industry, and media format from one minute to the next. In my experience, I’ve found that clients either “get” your work or they don’t quite understand why something was worded a certain way.

Typically, I submit my content to clients for their review with little to no commentary because I truly want to gauge if it worked to convey the right message. Most of the time, clients follow the intention, but sometimes clients are at a loss, which happens most often when working with international clients who rely on us to develop copy on their behalf that sells in the U.S. or when working with clients on a search engine optimized website where there are a million and one intricacies involved in developing first-page ranking copy.

Because it happens so infrequently that I need to explain why I wrote what I wrote in the fashion that I did, I almost welcome the opportunity to clarify things so clients know that there is a method to the madness that is advertising copywriting. Whether it’s for word structure, word play, high search engine rankings or any other strategy, my copy does have purpose. Once clients see all the thought that is involved in the development of their copy, they have a renewed sense of appreciation for the written word and a respect for the copywriting services of DDA.

On my way into work this morning, I was next to a truck with a logo displayed on the side and thought, DDA could design a better logo than that one! As a search engine optimization specialist at a graphic design company, I look at things with a critical eye. Whether its ending up proofing a menu when trying to decide what to order for dinner or looking at all of the billboards on my way to the shore, I find myself critiquing other company’s design work. It makes me realize just how talented our designers are at DDA.

Now I am by no means a designer myself, but I can definitely see a big difference in skill, experience, and ability when comparing DDA designs to other company’s logo designs, website designs, billboard designs and catalog designs.

Remembering lunches, sleeping bags, school projects, permission forms and all other necessities for my children for their school week…. ahhh, it must be Monday!

As I wake up and get ready for another work week I try to keep a positive attitude. As a search engine optimization specialist, I know that I will be optimizing a plethora of websites, each design different from the next. No matter how many times I get stuck at every red light on the way in, or notice that there is something that has rubbed off of my son’s hands onto my pants that will bother me until I can get home and shout it out, once I get to work I try to take a deep breath and put my morning (before walking into DDA) aside. It’s a good thing I don’t drink coffee or I am sure that it would have spilled on my lap by now.

I have set up a calendar for myself, just like the calendar that we use to schedule conference calls about website designs and search engine marketing or client meetings to discuss a logo or business card design. In it I have hour by hour designated which site I will be working on throughout my work week. I am hoping this will help be more organized since we optimize many websites, some of which we have designed as well.

I hope to stay on track with my projects for the day, but I am sure that shortly someone will be asking me for software from our large inventory, or ask for a website analysis of a potential client’s website.