Wie würden Sie mit widersprüchlichen Rückmeldungen von Nicht-Design-Stakeholdern zu komplexen Grafikdesign-Konzepten umgehen?

Unless I and my team missed something in the brief, swirl of this type is most often based on someones preferences or feelings as opposed to any real or credible feedback. My approach here will be first and foremost a political one, based on compromise but with an eye towards the principle stakeholder in the organization. Who's signing the checks? Let's win with that person and make them get their subordinates in line. Driving consensus is great if we can accomplish it, but not at the expense of my agency, other clients or pursuing new business.

With people who are uneducated in design principles there is a often fundamental misunderstanding of what a design asset or piece of collateral is actually built to do - I cannot tell you how many times I encounter clients who think their logo IS their brand, as opposed to the tip of the spear of their brand. What I find helpful in these situations is to get everyone to take a step back and put the project in perspective. If it is a full on rebrand or brand design project, make sure that they understand that their is only so much work any one brand asset can reasonably be expected to to do -their brand is the sum of it's parts, not any one element of it. Get your client to make some space around the thing they are getting hung up on.

This is the time to have the brief handy - all conversation and feedback should flow from it. This is also the time to make sure you and your team are prioritizing input correctly - not just about who has the better idea - but how do we keep this client relationship viable and healthy. Are mom and dad fighting? If so, let them talk it out. Keep your ears peeled and somewhere in that conversation - the root of the matter will make itself known - one of these folks either has a better reason for their feedback - or they have the better title - my job at this point is to make sure at the end of this conversation we are moving forward - not that everyone on the call is happy.

Our communication to the client at this stage in game (and I am assuming we are mid-project either a post round 1 or round 2 conversation - not kicking off) is about ensuring they know two things - 1. this design - whatever it is, was built in close communication with them, based on their needs, use case and preferences. 2. The clock is ticking. At this point we are generally re-iterating who we made the choices that we made and looking to incorporate feedback that will please them but not impair the functionality or execution of the thing they are paying us quite a bit of money to produce for them. Being transparent helps but only to a point - what pays more here is being diplomatic and building what consensus their is to be had.

Hopefully by this point you know what's going on. Is this an internal disagreement or power struggle making itself manifest as a fight over color ways, information hierarchy or logo mark? Is someone's job or reputation hanging in the balance with this project (or do they THINK it does)? Is this some asshole high in dark triad traits just being a real jerk about the whole thing? Or do they genuinely think something is being missed here? Being a counselor is part of our job but being a relationship counselor isn't in the job description. Act with genuine empathy and compassion towards the client to address the feedback, but remember we're here to solve a problem and bringing that to a successful completion is the goal.

Conference reports, conference reports and say it loud for the people in the back: conference reports. Make sure someone on your team is conveying the decisions that came out of the meeting, make sure in the meeting you plainly stated what it was you were going to do to iterate against their feedback and then restate that in the email. By all means be thoughtful, and yes design is iterative but don't let them kill your productivity or bottom line. Learn to tell well intentioned feedback from the people who are just taking up space in the meeting and feel the need to justify their salary. Sometimes that person is the person you need to please - if that's the case consider making this the last project you work on with them.

Discerning the political from the procedural is exhausting and difficult and takes a ton of experience - this is where you need to make sure you and your account team and project managers are in lock-step so make sure you're communicating clearly internally and have defined a strategy that encompasses both the work that needs to be done and the personalities that need to be managed, and if your a freelancer...I don't know, maybe start drinking early?