13 Ways Designers Screw Up Client Presentations

Design Director, Mule Design Studio • @monteiro

MIKE MONTEIRO

YOU HAVE BEEN LIED TO!

Quality is not enough.

Does good design sell itself?

NO Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck NO.

I sell design.

Get work.1

Do work.2

Ensure quality.3

Get paid.4

Isn’t that sales?BUT MIKE,

Do good work.1

Persuade them it’s good.2

A good designer who can sell work is more valuable than a great designer who can’t.

25,000,000SOLD OVER A TWO MONTH PERIOD IN 1957

You know — for kids!

You know — for users!

Selling is a core skill.

DO NOT TRUST!DO NOT TRUST!DO NOT TRUST!DO NOT TRUST!DO NOT TRUST!

This year has suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked.

MAKES MONEY

COSTS MONEY

CAN SELL DESIGN

CAN’T SELL DESIGN

Designers Screw Up Client Presentations

WAYS13

The work is good.1

The work is good.1

The work is tested.2

You are not there to be the client’s friend.

1

Happiness is a side-effect of good design.

If you can’t be bothered to sell it…

…don’t bother designing it.

They won’t be happy 6 months down the road when the project fails.

Not getting off your ass.2

I’m a shy and quiet person.BUT MIKE,

Confidence isn’t about

YOU

Confidence is about

THEM

Starting with an apology.3

Apologies are expensive.

You are always presenting the correct

amount of work.

The best way to fix a meeting is to cancel it.

Shit runs downstream.Apologies run upstream.

Not setting the stage properly.

4

Why are we here?1

When can we leave?Why are we here?1

2

No

foreword by Austin Kleon

YOU’RE MYFAVORITE CLIENT

Mike Monteiro

Brief books for people who make websites

12

NOT ACTUALLY LARRY

NOT ACTUALLY LARRY

NOT ACTUALLY LARRY

NOT ACTUALLY LARRY

NOT ACTUALLY LARRY

SOLD!

Giving the real estate tour.5

You’re selling a house by talking about sheetrock.

Work like a scientist.Present like a snake-charmer.

Taking notes.6

Reading a script.7

Without promotion something terrible happens…”

“

— PT Barnum

Without promotion something terrible happens…

“ nothing

— PT Barnum

.”

Getting defensive.8

Good people do bad work.

This is a great time to keep your mouth shut.

Every typo will reveal itself once you publish.

Mentioning typefaces.9

Talking about how hard you worked.

10

You’re not getting graded on effort.

Reacting to questions as change requests.

11

“Why is this blue?”

“Oh, I can change it!”

Why you using bricks?

Oh, I can change it!

Not guiding the feedback loop.

12

Does this reflect your brand?1

Does this reflect your users’ needs as we discussed in the reasearch?

2

Does this reflect your ad strategy?3

Asking “Do you like it?”13

Why do you hate designers?BUT MIKE,

This thing we do.

We are gatekeepers.

Thanks.