Welcome To SuperMozo Studio Ltd: Ideas and Advice

I have included this section only because I have needed help from friends and mentors along the way -- and whether you are creative person or a client looking to hire a creative person, you may have questions and if I can help I would like to help.

I look at creative people as problem solvers. The deliverable is a post card, an ad, a photograph, etc. The process can be as simple as using provided elements to make the final piece, or, as is often the case, you have to take or find a photograph to tell the story, talk about the offers, put some writing down on paper. All design projects are not as simple as coming up with a clever headline with one big photo.

For the designers and artists:
A mentor of mine once said, present work that is great, because the client is always going to make it good. This is a knock on the client (who pays our bills), and it is not always the case that the collaboration with the client produces less than positive results, but the point has always stuck with me. What he meant, I think, is, even if you know you have a client that typically makes 13 bullet pointed changes with each pass, you have to do what you know is your best and let the process take it to the finished work. If you go to battle with work that you aren't even behind, you are starting off on the wrong foot. I admit to having shown work in my portfolio, over the years, that I thought was the best option, even if a client went with another.

For the client:
You have a right to fight for what you want. You are paying for it. No one knows your business as well as you. If it is advertising, you could argue the placement is as important as the message. That said, an un-compelling offer may get little to no response. Know going into it if you want build you brand/get your name and image out there or have something you can track/a coupon or special offer. An ad is an image, a feeling, a statement about your business. It is sometimes possible to get to caught up in the little details and miss the overall look of what you are presenting.

Be prepared is boy scouts advice, but, sound advice even if you've never worked with an artist before or if you are working with someone new. The details matter: expiration dates, wording, rebates, etc. If you can get that kind of stuff out of the way first, you can dedicate your time to working with an artist to get your message across. I once had a client give me bogus dates for an invitation, when I went to the calendar to double check the day of the week, it didn't add up. Their reply, "we just wanted to see what it would look like." This meant, I was definitely going to have to make more changes and I considered it completely unprofessional. I want every pass that I provide to possibly be the final pass. I guess my point is, don't fall in love with the process, focus on the end result!

This may be 101 level at first pass, but I will grow it if questions come in a dialogue begins. Email me with questions here.