You’re My Favorite Client

You’re My Favorite Client

by Mike Monteiro
Released November 2014
Publisher(s): A Book Apart
ISBN: 9780134077994

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Book description

Whether you’re a designer or not, you make design decisions every day.

Successful design projects require equal participation from both the client and the design team. Yet, for most people who buy design, the process remains a mystery.

In his follow-up to Design Is a Job, Mike Monteiro demystifies the design process and helps you prepare for your role. Ensure you’re asking the right questions, giving effective feedback, and hiring designers who will challenge you to make your product the best it can be.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. More From The a Book Apart Library
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Foreword
  6. Dedication Page
  7. Introduction
  8. 1. Why You Need Design
    1. What is Design?
    2. What’s Design’s Value?
    3. What Design Can’t Fix
    4. What’s a DESIGNER?
    5. Red Flags to Look for in Designers
  9. 2. Hiring a Designer
    1. When to Get In-House Help
    2. When to Get Outside Help
    3. Getting Your House in Order
    4. How to Find Designers
    5. How to Evaluate a Portfolio
    6. First Contact
    7. What to Pay for Design
    8. How Designers Determine Estimates
    9. Get a Contract in Place
  10. 3. Working Together
    1. Resist The Urge to Jump In
    2. Respect The Designer’s Process
    3. A Designer Only has to Win a Job Once
    4. Be Honest About How Involved You Can Be
    5. Give The Designer Enough Information to Do Their Job
    6. Don’t Dive-Bomb
    7. Subjectivity Goes Both Ways
    8. The Major Decisions Of a Design Project (And Why They Matter)
    9. Your Role in The Design Process
  11. 4. Evaluating Work and Giving Feedback
    1. How to Evaluate The Work
    2. How to Give Feedback
  12. 5. when things go well
    1. You Meet Deadlines
    2. People Ask Questions
    3. People Form Relationships
    4. Every Time Your Designer Shows You Something, You Understand Why
    5. The Work Slowly Gets Better
    6. People Argue
    7. People Tell You They Fucked Up
    8. The Designers Trust You Enough to Show You Unfinished Work
    9. You’ve Shown The New Site to Someone You Weren’t Supposed To
    10. Someone Complains About The Sorry-Ass State Of Your Legacy Systems
    11. Your Team Is Excited About The Next Deliverable
    12. People Stay Late to Work
    13. The Current Site Makes You Sick
    14. You Didn’t Mind Writing That Last Check
    15. You Want to Poach Someone On The Design Team
    16. Your Boss Is Happy
    17. You Have a Clear Path to The Finish Line
    18. Summing It Up
  13. 6. When Things Go Wrong
    1. Signs Things Are Going Wrong
    2. Big Versus Small Mistakes
    3. How Do You Know It’s Unrecoverable?
    4. The Come-To-Jesus Meeting
    5. Communicating Failure
    6. Firing a Designer
    7. What About Your Money?!?
    8. Reconstruction
  14. Conclusion
  15. Glossary
  16. Resources
  17. Acknowledgements
  18. References
  19. Index
  20. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: You’re My Favorite Client
  • Author(s): Mike Monteiro
  • Release date: November 2014
  • Publisher(s): A Book Apart
  • ISBN: 9780134077994