The 15 humped camel
With brief in hand for a new design project, I consider a suitable response to utilise my 12 years’ experience and relevant degree qualification. Sounds OK so far.I now start on a tried and tested approach to efficient, time saving, quality controlled design, which should go something like this:
- Initial design consultation with client
- Design spec developed and pre-agreed
- Idea generation and presentation to client
- Feedback
- Revisions
- Final artwork
- Sign-off
Sadly it didn’t. A cold shiver went down my spine when I heard the phrase: “We just need to take it to a public consultation to get some feedback”.
My worst fears were soon realised. I once heard someone say: “A camel looks like a horse that was designed by a committee”. Well, this camel was multi-coloured with 15 humps, ethnic overtones, three and half heads, a broom up its arse – well you get the picture.
‘Design by committee’ is a term referring to a style of design and its resultant output when a group of entities come together to produce something, particularly in the presence of poor and incompetent leadership. The defining characteristics are needless complexity, internal inconsistency, logical flaws, banality, and the lack of a unifying vision.
—thanks Wikipedia.
I could sit here all day describing the amount of inconsistent comments and personal preferences I have been instructed to make, but I would miss the ridiculous deadline I’ve also been set. So I have poached a good example to illustrate the point relating to the steps above:
- Initial design consultation with client
- Design spec developed and pre-agreed
- Idea generation and presentation to client
- Feedback
- Susan gives her thoughts
- Clive gives his thoughts that contradict Susan
- Malcolm gives his thoughts two weeks later that contradict Susan and Clive
- Mike loves it and doesn’t want any changes
- Clive’s wife adds her two cents
- Two members of the committee fail to give feedback
- Designer makes revisions
- Feedback
- Susan loves it
- Clive hates it
- Malcolm gives his thoughts two weeks later that contradict his original changes
- Mike wants it how it originally was
- Clive’s wife adds her two cents
- Two members of the committee fail to give feedback
- Designer makes some more revisions
- Feedback
- Susan hates it and wants revision 2
- Clive has a shouting match with Susan and demands further changes
- Malcolm gives his thoughts two weeks later that contradict his second set of changes
- Mike wants it how it originally was
- Clive’s wife ends up having a fight with Susan
- Two members of the committee finally give some feedback on revision 1
- Designer can now either:
- A: Quit
- B: Call a design crisis meeting
- C: Demand all changes funnel through one person only
- D: Go on a manic killing rampage
Luckily, the designer chooses ‘C’ and Susan becomes the designated contact.
- Revision 3 evaluated
- Susan passes on feedback from all committee members
- Clive wants to try another strategy
- Malcolm disappears for a month to his villa in Spain
- Mike wants it how it originally was
- Clive’s wife apologises to Susan and gives her two cents
- Two members of the committee finally give feedback on revision 2
- Designer rightly demands further design budget…the committee says no!
Design is subjective, there is no right or wrong, it seems, just personal preference and the person who shouts loudest usually gets their way. I suppose, if this manner of design wasn’t so commonplace then half the design agencies in the UK wouldn’t exist. There would be no comments to amend, pictures to change, layouts to rearrange time after time, and my colleagues and I could very well be out of a job.
One hump or fifteen, sir?