Discussion
Mar 4th, 2010 by Andy Epstein
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For the last two and a half years, I've been apart of the in-house design team for a non-profit org undergoing a rebranding initiative. While we've met much success in our external communication efforts, we are turning our attention towards internal renegades who still think clip art is okay for internal fliers. As the new Branding Coordinator, or art director, I am making presentations to departments and reaching out to these brand offenders and it's become apparent that many of them don't know what we do or what we offer.
It's clear that we need some sort of marketing or self promotion piece to put an end to publisher newsletters and the comic sans epidemic. Has anyone faced a similar problem? Any suggestions for a newbie? I would like to establish a brand review committee to educate someone in each dept. about design and police the brand but first I think attention should be on marketing our capabilities. Thoughts and suggestions are MUCH appreciated.
We still have that problem, but to a much smaller degree. We have been able to create generic templates for a variety of purposes that we have placed on a server that all can have access too. This includes PowerPoint templates. Also, during the holidays we opened up our department for a Holiday party. We displayed work, created a looped presentation and provided our guests with a few "creative" arts and crafts options. It helped get our purpose and department services out there to staff members who may not have even known we existed.
This is a problem we have also faced over the years and as people come and go it continues to rear it's ugly head! I've worked in a non-profit design department for about 14 years and we have to continually promote our services. This year we had a design open house, it was a great way to show off our work and let internal clients see just what our capabilities are. I believe that most of the time internal clients are not intentionally going around us, they just don't understand how to utilize a design department or maybe don't even realize they can! Keep out front.
We also have a process in place where all communications need to be signed off by someone in the design department, if the design are not to brand you can make suggestions before they are released. Eventually this becomes the norm and internal communications are no longer created in some design/layout program with awful 80's clip art! Good luck!
We recently (well two years ago, now) went through some layoffs, and managers seemed to be the primary targets. It made sense, because at the time we had as many managers as we did designers. When things started to look a bit better, I was promoted to one of the vacant manager positions... kind of. I have most of the responsibilities of the person that I replaced, but pretty much none of the power. I work on all of the bigger projects, and am expected to lead the team, but nobody actually reports to me, and I can't exactly direct anyone. I can suggest things, but nobody has to listen at all. It's turned bad quickly. The other people on the team resent the fact that I am working on the bigger projects, because I'm not looked at as a manager since I don't really have managerial power. I'm looked at as a peer that gets all of the "good" projects and recognition that comes along with them. When I do try and direct projects, it's received as if I'm a know it all that is trying to get my hands in their projects, not that I'm a director trying to help make things better. I've tried on multiple occasions to bring this up to my boss, but she kind of brushes it off. She plans on making changes, but nothing ever actually happens. All the while, things get worse and worse on the team. There is a real negative vibe, and I want to fix it, but I have no bullets in my gun. Every time I try and talk through things, it falls on deaf ears, and things go back to normal, because why should they listen to me? Who am I to tell them what to do?
I also work at a large non-profit where I'm the only print designer (we have a web designer and a videographer). I've just been here for a year, and I'm still fairly green in my career, but I'm working to figure out how to clean up our brand, give us an identity, without making people feel like I've backed them into a corner (or just totally confused).
My boss is a numbers guy—if it doesn't raise revenue, he ain't interested. Period. It's tough suggesting a design overhaul to him. Aside from having little design knowledge, the only way he's ready to take a risk is to see what other organizations have tried similar approaches, and then gauge their results to predict our own. I'm realizing, though, that this curse might be a blessing. While he's resistant to the changes I suggest, his untrained eye also rarely picks up on subtleties that I find hugely important. I very well may be able to do a great deal of redefining without his even noticing.
Aside from the risk-taking challenge, my other greatest challenge is facing all the literature on why direct mail should be big, bold and ugly in order to get people's attention. While I understand the notion, I'm eager to find resources on how to rethink direct mail, approach it tastefully, while still being in-your-face and audacious. Still working on that one.
My last great challenge is simply that of an in-house designer. I crave mentoring. I love being led by senior designers, but I lack that here. I'm a one-woman show. It's my goal to get involved in the best community design groups I can find, and hopefully latch on to some like-minded folks there. This is hugely important to the growth and strength of a young designer.
Just sharing my thoughts here, and happy to resonate with these frustrations. The thing is, I really adore what my non-profit works towards, so it makes this struggle really worth it.
Hi Shara,
You could slap my name on your post and it would be my own story. I've been working for a global NGO for a year and a half and have taken on the responsibility of ensuring that the brand is consistently applied across the organization (including dozens of field offices around the world).
It's a struggle that must first be defined. So many members of our organization, as others have similarly stated, simply are not aware of the support and resources we can provide. I've set up an internal brand ambassadors team consisting of members from each department (ranging from assistants to Senior Managers) who are not only informed of but accountable for correct branding.
I try to always make it worth their while. If you can make branding easier to do, with simple templates and easy access to creative assets (Digital Asset Management systems, etc) people are much more likely to not only apply the branding but to be excited about doing it.
What a great thread to find! Thanks to everyone for sharing, as it's wonderful to learn from other professionals.
Cheers.
Yikes, I feel we all face the same issues. I've been the sole in-house designer for several years. What I find works for us is setting a internal brand standard that somewhat aligns with the external brand standard. Other deparments take kindly to it because it comes from Marketing vs. one person. Set up a few pages of internal brand standards in a PDF and templates (PowerPoint, word, etc.) Use that when you meet with internal partners. If you can't take on the project suggest a vendor that you know will follow your brand standards. Let them know you would be happy to advise, but can't take on the project on due to workload. Otherwise, you will never leave work once people realize how effective a well-designed piece can be.
I have many the same issues as many of you - sole designer trying to impliment brand standards. I'm now to the point of requesting another staff member. We've doubled the printed projects from last year along with adding video and web branding to my workflow.
For the last 8 months I've been petitioning for an in-house junior designer. You all can imagine the politics and red tape I've encountered but I have presented stats and figures to support my claims that would appeal to the financial side of this. I've even cut my request from a full-time member to a part time intern at minimum.
The problem: my boss won't present the idea eventhough I've been racking up OT and presented various options. They want to hire freelancers or get a firm involved. Our company does not currently outsource anything and I don't know that coordinating with outsides sources is going to save me any time. My additional fear is that some of the best projects will be outsourced because all my time will be consumed doing the mundane tasks of resizing images for the website and doing more "on-demaind" (ie - no time to create) projects.
How do any of you coordinate with outside vendors?
Our internal design department participated in a Lean program over the past year and a half. Lean is a method that focuses on eliminating waste from processes. We were tasked with taking a realistic look at our processes by doing a Value Stream Map. This is an awesome tool that realistically documents how the flow of work currently moves through the department. Doing a Value Stream Map (VSM), uncovered waste in the workflow and helped us implement a more efficient workflow and processes. We found that VSMs speak loudly to the non-designer, corporate business heads. They 'get' the Lean methods and a VSM armed our design manager with valuable data on what the dept. does and how they do it in a language that non-designers understand. If your company has implemented Lean, don't avoid it.
What is in a name?
Recently, our Design Group (currently know as Creative Services) has gone through an exercise to examine our process, strategy and structure.
One action item that came out of the process was to adopt a new name “Corporate Strategic Design” and write the business case for the name change. The main focus of our change from Creative Services was to separate ourselves from the term “services” which can imply “servitude” and embodies what most internal design departments struggle to distance themselves from.
The other perceived negative stemmed from using the word “Creative”. Since our department does not include video/media production or copy writing, we felt that term distorts the design we actually do.
On the flip side of this naming coin, potentially there is another downside using the word “Corporate”. Within a segmented business, “corporate” is often seen as Big Brother to the business units and doesn’t often foster collaboration. So nixing Corporate we are left with “Strategic Design” which embodies how we work and how we want to be leveraged by the business.
Are we putting to much into it? Or not enough? I have seen internal agencies/departments utilize naming conventions from the simplistic (Visual Communications) to the complex (Creating a unique boutique agency name) without a clear understanding if the struggle we are having with a name is universal. So I wanted to get a conversation going and ask “What is in a name?”
Do the other business units within your organization understand the power of design and how it relates to propelling your organization forward? If they don't, at the very least you may need to hold a few "lunch and learns" so they can gain a better understanding of the value "Strategic Design" plays in helping them accomplish their individual business goals and how it brings value to your organization's overall success.
So what's in a name? Hmmm. Again, I think it's less about the name and more about the functional purpose of your business unit and evangelizing that message throughout your organization. It's about getting out their and letting other business units know that you are there as a partner, a strategic resource. I find that many corporations don't understand our function nor do they see our value. If you can't get them to understand your micro and macro value as it relates to the organization, you might as well call yourselves "Strategic Hoodoo."
In the end, "Strategic Design" feels good. On your business cards are your titles "Strategic Designer?" If not, re read the last line of the previous paragraph.
Ok, here goes. I am curious to know how duties and responsibilities are divvied up among your creative staff? In other words, who does what? For instance, I wear the art director, account services director, and traffic manager hats, and then have 3 graphic designers on my team who are assigned graphic design requests as they come in. We have internal Museum departments/clients we serve such as Marketing, Education, Exhibits, etc., but my team is the "creative service provider". Thanks in advance.
Our company is currently going through a rebrand. There are three people (including myself) on the creative team. The other two are young designers and have less experience. We're expected to present a new/revised logo, colors, overall visual elements (web, app, print collateral, etc.) and copy (we have a copy writer thank goodness) within two weeks. We then have three days to polish it and present to senior management.
Am I crazy to think this isn't doable? At least not when it comes to having quality work to show in the end?