Written by The design team of any organization is an important creative part of the whole workforce. They define the brand & profile of the company in front of the customers.
Statistically, the in-house design team of an organization can be instrumental in saving up to 40% of its expenditures. Also, a worthy design division will give better outputs, meet deadlines consistently, collaborate within the team and among other departments and work in a stress-free environment. The following guidelines will help you to develop the design team of your organization and increase their efficiency.
Creativity Should be Encouraged
The designers are a creative bunch; so whenever a new project or requirement is defined, brief the design team about the same. Encourage a brainstorming session among the designers, so that several ideas float around before the actual designing process starts. You can be the facilitator and the convener of these sessions; let the creativity of your design team come to the fore.
Provide Right Implements and Establish Best Practices
Arm your designers with the latest digital tools for best results. While this will be an initial investment on the company’s part, work will get done with the best quality possible in the shortest possible time. Proper communication within the team, collaboration during ongoing projects and their proper management ensures successful and on-time completion of work.
Planning and division of jobs for completion of assigned projects are also critical. In this context, setting up and implementing some result-oriented practices within the team is important. Simple things like standardized file naming procedures, indexed storage areas (both digital and physical), following pre-set work briefing templates go a long way towards improving workflow and saves loads of time. If the work process is set, multiple designers and new team members will find it much easier to work and be productive in a shorter period. Keeping a database of discarded design ideas may also help with other projects in future.
Give the Team Free Hand
Designing is basically a creative medium; there is a high degree of artistic creativity involved. You should have faith in the members of your design team about delivering high-quality results. While each designing project is unique, the underlying principles and processes broadly remain similar. So, as long as the basics are right, give free hand and autonomy to your design team, so that they feel free to use their creative faculties to the fullest. They should have the freedom to use their expertise and experience for delivering the best output possible.
Provide an Exhaustive and Detailed Design Briefing
A preset template is a good way to approach a design briefing at the start of a project. This important process template should include all the acquired details, from the basics like the type of output file, size details, the media file to be used. More details like type of target audience, what the design is supposed to achieve, the promotion channel for the design can be also be added. The aim is to provide your design team with the right amount of information for them to come up with a relevant, high-quality working design. A presentation may also help in some cases. The briefing session should take into account the feedback of the in-house designers, who are quite aware of the company values and work ethics.
Adhere to Schedules in a Pre-Planned Way
Target dates are always important for successful completion of projects. Dividing the different aspects of the projects, while taking into consideration the individual skill sets within your design unit, in the beginning, is the key to meeting deadlines. You should mark in case there are consistent failures to meet deadlines and take remedial action. Also, ensure there is time for project review and there is enough downtime for the employees to keep them refreshed.
Change of Work Environment Helps
Sometimes, a change of the work environment, like an outdoor meeting or a short excursion, helps in refreshing the design team. They may find fresh inspiration in more relaxed settings and team bonding will also increase.
Ensure Communication and Feedback
For any project, proper communication between the team members involved along with detailed feedback sessions is important for its success. So, you need to ensure the same is happening within your in-house design team also. Appreciating exemplary performers and the best design ideas is also a great morale booster.
A cohesive, well-tuned design team armed with the right tools and time-tested processes will deliver better outputs. The management should try to minimize interference except during briefing, supervision and feedback sessions.
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