Michael Bierut on Clients.

When I discuss the design process, I mention to my students that the single biggest problem most designers have is that they spend too much time trying to find new projects. The reason is that after finishing a project, most designers fail to do the really hard thing: following up and developing that customer into a long-term client.

My grandfather, father, and uncle had very successful sales careers because they always were honest with their customers, genuinely concerned about their customers, and always acted in the best interest of their customers. I was successful when I developed my sales career in Latin America for the same reason and I believe I have been successful in education because this is also the attitude I try to take with my students.

So for lunch today, I took a break from grading web sites and watched Michael Bierut's talk at Creative Mornings on Clients. As designers we spend a great deal of time focusing and discussing our craft, but most of us spend far too little time on the reason we get paid to do what we love: our clients.

It is refreshing to hear a partner at one of the most successful design firms in the world, Pentagram, not talk about creativity and not talk about style, but to give an open talk on clients and to discover that clients at Pentagram are not so different than the ones I have in Martin and Polk counties.

2010/01 Michael Bierut from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.