Beware of Credentials

A client recently asked me to collaborate with an associate of his on the design of a website for his company. The associate was a web site programmer and Search Engine Optimization expert. As the designer for the project, the partnership seemed like it would be a good fit.

Upon introducing myself and how I would be involved in the project, I received the following response:

I have built thousands of websites and have a degree in MIS from USF and am certified by Microsoft in Analyzing Requirements and Definiting Solutions Architecture. With over 13 years of professional experience I don't need any help.

This was enough to allow me to step away from the project. Why?

First, I have a design process that works and it requires me to be involved at all stages of development.

Second, her claim of credentials was an attempt to possibly scare me off because she felt I might be taking over the project or something like that. I wasn't scared by her training. Instead, I became concerned for the client. Personally, I could care less how much training you have. Show me your commitment to the client and I'll want to work with you.

When someone blasts their credentials at you, it should send signals. BIG ONES. Dig a little deeper and you might discover they are hiding something from you. No matter how impressive their credentials are, it could be a way to distract you from something they are not telling you.

When your design and marketing partnerships are based on commitment and promises, that is when the magic happens.

By the way, if you are someone who is a website programmer and is committed to your clients, I want to talk to you. Contact me through my website (http://www.cosmic-studio.com).

©2009 David Scott | Cosmic: Advertising & Design

I'm Just a Geek

For an art guy, I'm pretty geeky. I have this love for computers that my wife thinks is kinda scary. Not only do I work with one for my job, I have configured my home computer as my personal entertainment center. We watch TV, movies and listen to music all on the computer. It sends reminders to my cell phone, plans out my day and allows me to call friends all around the world using VOIP. That may not be astounding to some, but I really do consider our computer a member of the family. Yeah, I'm pretty much a dork.

I say this because this is the first post in this new blog and anyone who is familiar with the blogger formats will see that the interface has been customized. I figured out a way to edit the code to make the page seem at least a little bit like it was tailored to our company. Again, probably not an amazing feat for some of the hardcore nerds out there, but for someone who has no training on writing or reading computer code, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. The funny thing is when it comes to building the backend of a website, I haven't got a clue. But, for some reason, I know how to read code and figure out how to hijack it, tweak it and turn it into something new.

In college, I took on computer programming as a major and failed miserably because the teachers couldn't speak English. So I persued the arts instead. However, my love for the tech side of things never seemed to wane. Many times, I was called on to install a network, fix a software problem, I even built a company website straight from raw code when websites were just starting to make their way onto the commerical landscape. This was very cool stuff for me. I later got arrested for hacking that same website, but we'll save that for another discussion.

I guess I've always been a technical tinkerer. Some people have their '79 Trans Am. I have PHP. It doesn't seem very creative on the outside, but like any puzzle it helps work the brain in new ways and gets the creative juices flowing. The more I tinker on the web, the more I find I can produce successful design projects. A lot of design professionals out there seem to resist the technical side of what we do. I love it. Crafting a great logo design one day and then figuring out how to code a survey form into a website another day is what makes this job so versatile. Does anyone else embrace their inner geek?

©2007 David Scott | Cosmic