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Creating the Perfect Design
Brief
By Peter Phillips
Allworth Press, 2004.
Copublished with DMI
Originally reviewed at Speak
Up by Jason A. Tselentis
I can’t emphasize how much design briefs have helped me
in the past. They instill a level of trust between the designer
and client, while establishing the mission, objectives, and milestones
that keep you all on track. Peter L. Phillips’ Creating the
Perfect Design Brief: How to Manage Design for Strategic Advantage
should be on the shelves of design students and practitioners because
he covers the micro and macro issues of design briefs while touching
on design management.
If design is all about process, then designers should always start
with a brief. How many clients have you heard say, “I don’t
know what I want, but when I see it, I’ll know.” On
the other hand, there are designers who say, “Tell me what
you want, and I’ll deliver it.” This “service”
method of working (or “taxi driving” as Phillips calls
it) is not something the author condones. Instead, he suggests that
designers act as consultants. Demonstrate your expertise. Perhaps
you can become a vice president one day. While not all designers
are capable of such ambitious climbing, this book lays the groundwork
for how an office, studio, or agency can operate. Solid writing,
planning, and strategizing will help get your feet under you.
While the book’s title centers on design briefs, Phillips
goes one step further, discussing issues such as design management,
competitive analysis, art versus design, overcoming obstacles, and
measuring results. Like a designer, Creating the Perfect Design
Brief tackles a broad range of material. Phillips brings it
to the table in an accessible manner, making the book read much
like a classroom text. This should come as no surprise. Phillips
himself has given numerous seminars on design management, such as
brand development, identity strategies, and communication programs.
Sponsored by the Design Management Institute (D.M.I.), the book
mirrors some of their goals, insomuch as showing how design can
play an integral part in business strategy.
Throughout the wealth of information, chapter seven stood out.
Titled “Establishing Credibility and Trust for Design”,
these robust 28 pages are a call to action for designers. Using
small testimonials with case studies, Phillips demonstrates how
designers can emphasize their value in the workplace, “If
you don’t understand why you are valuable, or why design is
valuable, then no one else will either” (p. 73). Well, if
you don’t know, that’s okay. Get the book. Jump to page
74.
In all, Creating the Perfect Design Brief asks designers
to consider how they work. It’s helpful to have a process
in place, but don’t let it streamline your creative activities.
Design briefs and design management should help you work better.
Currently, there’s a flood of self-help books on the shelves
that cover everything from diet to exercise to divorce. Creating
the Perfect Design Brief feels like self-help for designers.
After finishing it, I believe I can take my job and my abilities
to another level.
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