Fixing the Plumbing: The Other Side of Creativity

Sometimes a client asks me to tell their company’s full story on one page.

Can I do that?

Sure.

I can make the type smaller.

I can make it really smaller. I could probably fit the whole company history in there if we include a magnifying glass as a free incentive.

But who wants to read mice type?

When a client wants the kitchen sink on one page, you start getting a lot of dirty dishes, too. Too many thoughts plated together turn to mush—and before long, the whole thing may begin to stink.

That’s usually when someone says, “The design just isn’t working.”

Maybe.

But sometimes the design is the last thing that’s wrong.

The real problem might be that nobody has decided which part of the story matters most.

Or the most important idea is missing.

Or three people are giving me three different versions of what the page is supposed to say.

Or everything is marked “important”—which is a fascinating way to make sure nothing stands out.

Before I can make a page look good, I may have to ask a few questions, sort out the order, find out what’s missing, and get everyone pointed in the same direction.

That’s not the glamorous part of design.

That’s the plumbing.

Nobody says, “I hired you to organize my information and clarify who has the final say.”

They say, “Can you make this look better?”

And sometimes I can.

But first, we have to fix the plumbing.

A layout can only do so much with a clogged message. We need to know what belongs on the page, what can wait for a conversation, and what the reader is supposed to notice first.

The whole company story may be worth telling. It just doesn’t have to move into one little page all at once.

Once the pipes are clear, the design can start to look good. The story can make sense and give the reader a reason to take the next step.

I’d rather serve the message on a beautiful plate than send every idea through the garbage disposal and call it a meal.