This article dives into who matters the most when it comes to the design decisions we have to make at Baytek. But why does this even matter? Well, everyone has an opinion and design can often fall into the trap of becoming an exercise of subjectivity. By knowing up front who actually matters the most, it makes not only the design process easier, but also the review making process easier.
But what does “order of importance” even mean? I’m glad you asked. The order of importance is whose expectations we are judging the work against. So there is an inherent hierarchy of whose shoes we need to be in when we look at the work with a critical lens. Here it is:
- Target Audience
- The Client
- Baytek
OK, let’s break down what each of these mean before explaining the importance of the order of importance (ahem).
1. Target Audience
Everything that we make at Baytek will be for an intended audience and to reach an intentional objective – that is one of the defining measures of what makes it design, and not art. During the planning and discovery sessions, those target audiences will be communicated to us by the client. We may need to do a bit of prodding, a bit of digging – but eventually they will be clearly defined. One way to consider target audiences is the relationship they have with the client:
- Users: These are the people who use or benefit directly from what the client is offering (i.e. clients, customers, members, participants, etc.)
- Enablers: The people who help build, support, or deliver the client’s work (i.e. staff, board members, funders, contractors, volunteers, etc.)
- Champions: The people who love what they do and help spread the word (i.e. brand advocates, partner organizations, etc.)
- Narrators: The people who interpret and retell their story to others (i.e. media, regulators, competitors, the public, etc.)
By thinking about the relationship the target audience has with the client, in theory, you can think about whether the creative solution we propose will help to strengthen that relationship.
2. The Client
The client is not just Joe Schlomo from Acme Inc. – they are a person, with a life, with obligations and objectives – a walking, talking, real human being. And they chose to work with Baytek. That means something. Not only that – they know the target audience better than anyone. So their opinion matters, and we take it incredibly seriously.
3. Baytek
That’s leadership. That’s the design department. That’s everyone in the company. It’s our opinion, our thoughts, it’s what we want to get out of the project. We’re important, but we’re last on the podium. But hey, at least we’re on the podium.
Why the order really matters
OK. So why does the Target Audience come first? Well, essentially that’s who we’re designing for and ultimately the design will live or die on whether it connects with them or not. So, high stakes. Obviously it’s imperative, in that respect, to garner as much knowledge about them as possible, and what challenges they are facing. In all likelihood a lot of that information will come from the client, so we listen up when they are talking about them.
Then comes the Client. The one who is paying for all this, and whose objectives we are trying so hard to achieve. At Baytek, one of our core values is “Building Lasting Relationships” – this means making the client happy. So if they have an opinion, we have to honour it. Now that doesn’t mean we lie down and accept it if we don’t completely agree – obviously we can give our expert opinion (especially if we feel it may compromise any of their own objectives). But we at least need to listen, take it seriously – and, yes, we put our ego aside and trust that they know the target audience better than us.
Yes, Baytek is always last. Well, third is a better way of looking at it. But we’re still important. The client has hired us for our expertise, our good work and the whole project experience (and hopefully beyond that too). In an ideal scenario, even though there is a hierarchy of importance, the balance is pretty even. So everyone walks away super happy. But put it this way – we’re not here to win any awards. We’re not here to compromise the client’s happiness or blank on the target audiences. We’re here to deliver good, solid work that achieves everything the client wants, which can blossom into a long lasting partnership. That’s it. Heck, if we can ALSO win an award, then sweet.
