Upload
garcia-media
View
213
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The sixty-fourth "fable" from Mario Garcia's "Pure design"
Citation preview
mario garcia
198
Working with consultantsMost of the projects I have ever been involved in included highly
skilled art directors in residence who were more than capable
of leading the effort of a redesign. And, in some cases, the art
directors themselves probably wondered why an outside consultant
was needed, although, by the end of the process, most agreed they
h ad benefited from the interaction and the learning involved.
In most cases, the consultant also learned much from the art
directors and editors in the project. However, the role of the
consultant has to be clearly defined and outlined at the beginning.
Everyone has to know what his or het responsibilities and contri-
butions will be to avoid misunderstandings later.
A redesign project is a major enough undertaking, with major
obstacles to overcome, without having to deal with personality
problems.
What can the role of the consultant be?
To define key points of the project: briefing, sketching, prototyp-
ing, researching, implementing
To guide the designers through the sketching process with
concepts that the designers can use to develop their initial ideas
pure design
199
To guide designers and editors to resources that may prove
helpful, from website to books to other publications.
To identify talents in the various areas needed in the redesign
process: journalism, production, marketing, and advertising.
To help with the creation of a stylebook.
To teach throughout the project. This is perhaps the consultant’s
most important role, that of nurturing the staff, imparting
knowledge through seminars, discussions, and sessions in which
the specific redesign project is momentarily put aside, talking
about the craft, design, trends, and, in a sense, bring the classroom
into the newsroom.
To foster team effort and to alert everyone to the benefits of work-
ing as a team: we all shine if the project wins. This is everyone’s
project, not anyone individual’s creation.
When the art director and the consultant “click” everything else
in the project falls into place quickly. Everyone benefits, but
especially the readers, who gain from the experience and
creativity of a team.