Mirificam Press

Keeping Your Web Project from Becoming a Frankenstein Monster

April 7th, 2008 in Business & Process

by: Matthew Griffin

A couple weeks ago, I posted an article entitled The . In that article I suggested that limiting client options is key to managing projects efficiently. I was surprised when I received some flak for that particular point; so I've decided to expand it into an article. It's true that limiting client options makes projects run more smoothly but it also prevents another common web design demon—the Frankenstein monster. In this article I'm going to explain the principle of holistic design and how to help your clients uphold that principle.

The Unbroken Design

The concept of holistic design is not a new thing. Designers in other disciplines have understood it for a long time, and web designers should be no exception. Each new website design should be a holistic unit with each element carefully and consciously constructed to accomplish a purpose. The color scheme, typography, style, and structure should all work together in harmony. This principle is easy to violate because the nature of web design is modular and cut-and-paste. And while this modular structure can be helpful, it also makes it easy to mar well laid out web pages. When you design a layout with a single purpose and vision in mind, then rip one chunk of it out and glue it to another design, you are violating the principle of holistic design—you are creating a Frankenstein monster.

Client Options and the Frankenstein Monster

A little Frankensteining of a design is inevitable when you throw a client into the decision making process. But it's our job to make sure that it happens as little as possible—both for our good and the good of our clients. It's not fair to throw a bunch of design decisions at a client who knows nothing about design. You may think that you're just doing your job but what you're really doing is setting them up for failure. That's why it's important to limit client options when it comes to aspects of the project where their ignorance could hurt them. To start, I suggest presenting just one mockup design at a time. Do your research, listen to the client, and go design something that will work well for them. When you present it, carefully explain why you made all the decisions you made. Set yourself up as the expert in your field so your clients will feel comfortable trusting you.

It's Alive!

Okay, you've limited client options and done everything else I suggested and your design still ended up with someone else's wart-covered nose stitched on the middle of its face. Such is life. The truth is that no matter how good you are, there is always going to be someone who doesn't like your ideas. At the end of the day the client is the boss and they have the right to make bad decisions. I've actually been in situations where just about every detail of every design decision I made was second-guessed and rejected; despite my best efforts to explain my decisions and limit options. In situations like that, you can either bow out gracefully or suck it up and do the work. But if you do decide to hang in there, it's still your duty to continue to fight for good design even if you get shot down every time.

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