Lost a big account . . .
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- timeless
but didn't lose my job - instead I'm being asked to think about the most important things to remember about what makes good design and present to my director on Friday . . . I'm really not sure what to do. I know what I think is important but does he want to hear that? I'm thinking that I'm valued cause I'm still employed . . . not sure why I'm writing this here . . . anyone have anything they want to say? Similar things happen to them?
- ENTER_RESPONSE0
_ You were responsible for losing the account?
It sounds kind of condescending to me, to be honest. What's the point of this exercise, to prove that you understand design?
- CyBrainX0
Yes, this is actually a design-related topic which makes is a lot more relevant than snowboarding threads and spam. Give us some more details. Sounds like they want to find you a new spot. Does this director know you? This could be a great change for you. A new account is like a new job, new life. Best of luck.
- mikotondria30
Yeh, surely a proper analysis of the situation regarding the client would be appropriate; what you thought their expectations were, how you'd managed those. How the relationships between the two companies was going - who knew who how well, what was the history. Any clues as to why they might have ditched you, being open to the possibility that you might not have done anything wrong at all...
- that's all done and done - initially didn't meet expectations and client never told anyone, till nowtimeless
- They mis-managed the relationship then, not you. What could you have done differently ?mikotondria3
- Way to go owning up though, dude - you're totally taking it on the chin, which I would think is an excellent quality in a wrkr..mikotondria3
- timeless0
director doesn't know me well, maybe that's our problem too - I think it's going to be a good change as well Cy - maybe just keeping me busy until they can find a spot? Hmm sounds possible. Thanks for that perspective it helps - I've been thinking all gloom and doom
- no way there is nothing gloom and doom about it - they are asking you to flex a bit, no?canoe
- BusterBoy0
Perhaps it's someone else up the food chain who feels the need to apportion blame and report that to someone else even further up the food chain?
- d_rek0
We all make mistakes. It's how we learn.
You're a good person for owning up to your mistakes - just make sure you're not owning up to anyone else's too.
At my first job out of college I fucked up what I considered at the time to be some pretty big print jobs ($2500 and $9000) jobs respectively. I also managed to irk a few clients on more than one occasion because of a misplaced sense of pride. But it all happened for a reason, those mistakes were made for me to learn from.
Thankfully, the people I worked with were more than understanding that mistakes happen and that while it sometimes hurts to have to eat the hard-costs associated with them it ultimately builds a more experienced employee. I didn't end up staying at that studio, but the world also never ended when I made those mistakes.
So breath easy my friend. Perhaps some money was wasted but look at this way: nobody died, nobody got hurt. You're still alive and breathing.
- inteliboy0
If it was your fault, sounds like he's a good guy for wanting to chat about it on Friday rather then belittling or firing you. As the others say, turn your brain on to max and learn as much as you can this week.
- zoozoo0
write a few paragraphs and see what happens?
- honest0
this is bs, it is your boss where the responsibility lies. you'd just be writing an essay on his/her shortfalls. Are you in the client services business or are you a designer?
- zoozoo0
he prob wants to know your thought process.
- Amicus0
confuse the hell out of him. be self deprecating in the most arrogant manner you can.
Tell him Saul Bass was a genius, cause the fish market is a huge dollar and Paul Rand was the Next big thing, but he hasn't created anything worthwhile in the last few years.
Tell him design is finding the right questions to ask and answering them with a pencil and paper.
Liberally sprinkle around the anecdotes and try to mention his best work 2 or 3 times but absolutely no more than that. Make sure to randomly alternate grins with grimaces and sideways glances with penetrating stares.
last, but not least, forget everything I've told you to do.
- dbloc0
- what an ugly childcannonball1978
- what an ugly thing to say cannonAmicus
- +1 amicus.dMullins
- deathboy0
tell your boss that clearly his direction is confusing and your not sure what he expects or wants. And if he is more clear you can do your job better and get closer to meeting his expectations with your presentation.
But you can explain the reasons you think the project failed in respects to the client expectations. Perhaps poor communication, differenting views on design aesetics and such things. Perhaps the client was just a nob with expectations that werent possible and as much your boss should take that into consideration. If u think u did a good job on it, than fuck it thats all that matters to you. Be honest and say as much and tell them to fuck the internal irrational would of could of blame game and move on. So many marketing managers these days have a piece of paper and stand behind blind whims that the people who choose the accounts have to take that into consideration. Let the blame fall on them if they didnt suck dick hard enough. Dont let them try to shoulder it on you through guilt. Unless of course you are actually guilty of something?
- BusterBoy0
As an employer, I find this approach so totally condescending. The guy sounds like a total pissant.
My approach would be to have a round table discussion called with zero notice and thrash it out without warning so those concerned don't feel the need to come up with some rehearsed response they think you want to hear.
Don't turn it into a blame game...more an open and honest discussion. None of this bullshit.
- cannonball19780
Sounds like they want to swing an axe. Don't stretch your neck.
- maikel0
Can I ask for a few more details? It is not very clear to me what happened exactly.
Why have they singled you out from a team? Your responsibility? I would assume that you liaise with the client, work on the copy, photos, design and code for this client...
- animatedgif0
Don't have to be too specific but can you detail why the client left? I mean how is that related to your work?
I'd be careful if they're trying to find someone to blame, I mean unless you deviated wayyy wayyyy off brief then I don't see how it could go drastically wrong unless the client wasn't that serious in the first place.
- foz0
the most important thing to remember about what makes good design?
some context please, did you do shit work? was the client fired?
- 23kon0
"What makes good design" !!!!
What a lot of bullshit!
If the guy is questioning your design skills then he should never have hired you in the first place.
I'd have a think about what went wrong in the process and why this client was lost and go in with a presentation about that.
If the blame lies in the processes of the company that you work for then that's what should be addressed, not 'what makes good design'.It should be a presentation on "What makes good client management, what makes good internal processes, what makes good agency>client>agency communications...."
IMO, if you can go in there and point out exactly where the problem lies and come up with a solution then the guy should be giving you a f*cking medal for helping him save his company from losing more clients rather than questioning your design skills or practices.
It doesn't matter WHERE you get your ideas from (imagination, doodling, smoking pot, lying in the countryside) as long as your ideas are good ones and answer briefs.If he then shows you the door .... give him the finger and wish him well on his sinking ship.
- well fucking saidanimatedgif
- i like itarthur
- I like this, too.alicetheblue
- yupmikotondria3
- _me_0
win some, lose some, learn and move on....
if you can talk about this as an individual, within a working partnership with your boss and as a company as a whole...
then that'd be nice.