Art is Like Theatre
Someone said something very interesting the other day about how graphic design is like theatre.
Indeed art, design, and basically any other creative output that one may be required to pay money for is like ‘theatre’.
I was bemoaning how some businesses feel that if they don’t like the design concepts presented to them that they shouldn’t have to pay for them – that because of this they will only select a provider that offers a ‘money back guarantee’ – ie, if you don’t like the designs provided, you don’t pay for them.
I was offered up a very interesting analogy ….now if one goes to the theatre, which is a creative performance, and pays £35-£50 for their tickets for the performance, if you sit there and decide that actually even though you wanted to watch it, it’s a pile of crud, you don’t get to go to the box office and demand your money back because you didn’t like it do you?
Such as a few years ago when I watched a Shakespeare Royal Theatre performance of Beauty and the Beast and was rather disappointed in it …thought it was 85% boring to be honest. I paid around £100 for the tickets, the petrol money to get there, the mid performance drinks.
Hey you may even end up paying something like £200.00 if you take your family of four to the theatre for a show, especially when you factor in sweets, drinks etc. But if you think it’s rubbish (again, such as the Xmas production I saw two years ago with my family …lordy it was rubbish), you can’t say to the ticket office…oh, that was rubbish, give me my money back.
Yet some businesses think that with graphic design, despite them deciding to give this ‘creative output’ a chance …based on reviews (testimonials) and a plentiful view of the portfolio of previous works (shows), that it’s reasonable to want one’s money back if the creativity offered just didn’t quite hit the nail on the head for them.
Creativity isn’t like buying a sofa, it can’t be guaranteed to be something you will love, but if you choose your designer carefully based on reputation and skill, and ensure that you see a hefty slice of their portfolio before making your decision, it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed in the end result.
4 Responses to “Art is Like Theatre”
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You should check out An Inspector Calls next time they are in town, the same team have been doing the same show for years, and they tour pretty much every year, not one for the kids, but a great story and production.
Matt
I didn’t know they did a stage show of that, I remember reading that at school!! A verrryy long time ago, lol
Not my type of thing I’m afraid, if they aren’t singing and dancing I’m not interested … yes just like my lack of appreciation for Banksy … if it’s not brightly coloured and cheerful, I’m often not a fan. Musicals are my bag.
An inspector calls!!!! I read that in school too!!! Such a good play!!! I also read Blithe Spirit that year and thought it was outstanding!!!
Well what I wanted to say is that I have worked with web designers and I believe that the whole “not paying if I don’t like it†is extremely unfair; designers mostly work per hour, and the hours that they spend on your project HAVE TO BE PAYED FOR!!!! Yet, client satisfaction is of the uttermost importance. What I do to make sure I am happy with the design (web design in this case) is 1) two meetings, one in my office, the other at the designer studio (for me it is important to see where they work), in those two meetings we go through the needs, the ideas, budget and evaluate options. 2) Once the designer begun, they send me samples so if there is something I don’t feel comfortable with, I ask them to change it. I like receiving as many samples as possible (mostly, jpg.); to make sure I don’t waste other people’s time with a thousand final corrections. I know that designers work per hour and that they even use software to track time and the hours they spend in each project, so I try to follow up their work so I end up being a happy client respecting their deadlines. I believe that more than a matter of creativity is a matter of mutual respect which in business is fundamental.
I don’t actually work on an hourly rate myself personally because many small business owners (all my clients are sme’s really) need to be able to budget the cost of a project before it starts – hence I always give customers a quote for the job at hand that cannot increase throughout the course of the project.
It means the client knows what it will cost before they start, with no fear of costs running away with them, and as a designer I feel if you are charging in this way you need to be very very clear about what is offered under the pricing quoted. IE, what they receive written down ‘in detail’ and also how many corrections/revisions are permitted within the costs, as well as info about any follow up care.
If both parties know precisely what they are getting into before things go ahead, there is little chance of disappointment on either side.
Thanks for your useful and well thought out comment
Amanda