Sharing expertise can be hugely beneficial in business. As a home worker, I have to problem solve on a daily basis, alone, with only my books and the internet for reference. If there’s a gap in my knowledge as to how to do something it can be a great frustration and a drain on my time too, so I am always open to learning from others and sharing knowledge.
It’s all about playing to your strengths too. I know ‘my particular set of skills’ (to quote the wonderful Liam Neeson) but I also recognise where others can add value.
It’s OK to ask for help!
As a graphic designer, we are expected to be master of all skills these days…marketeers, social media experts, typographers, web designers, even interior design specialists occasionally. The perception of the designers role has become diluted, confused and watered down…we are expected to be all things to all people and the pressure to be brilliant at everything is immense. In the years I have been doing this job, I have learnt that sometimes it’s better to say no to anything that you really feel might stress you out.
This should not be confused with the healthy challenge of stepping outside of your comfort zone. That’s not what I am advocating at all. There’s just nothing to gain in trying to be expert at something you are not.
Often branding a business goes hand in hand with a website design. It’s a natural progression and extension of the branding and I am the first to bang on about cohesiveness across all areas of marketing.
But websites just aren’t my thing. They require a level of expertise that I don’t have. I wasn’t trained to build websites, I was trained to recognise the aesthetics of great typography and fine balance between text and image. I learnt about colour theory and conceptual thinking, print technology, alignment and designing on grids and in all honesty, all the hosting, SEO, domain names, CSS, scrolling, stretching and science behind the creation of a beautiful website leave my head spinning…I zone out..a bit like I used to when presented with a complex geometry puzzle at school. It’s a lovely triangular form but exactly why does x = y on that side of the hypotenuse?
That’s why I collaborate with Dave Parker on web design. Dave really thrives on all this stuff…and he is so good at it. He is always researching new platforms and new strategies and his enthusiasm for his subject shines through. He approaches every client, as I do, as an individual and considers their requirements as a unique and bespoke project. Putting our heads together on branding projects really works and the best thing about sharing knowledge is that eventually, you gain a better understanding of each others area of expertise which can only have a beneficial effect on what you do individually, long term.
Equally, Dave knows that his natural start point for a build has to be some kind of branding or logo and so he always looks to me for my thoughts on what his clients already have or more often, don’t have and as a result, together, we can offer a much more effective and professional service to potential new clients.
So, whatever your business, especially in these days when more of us are working from home, fire up the face time, re-incentivise your ‘ZOOM’ networking and TALK to each other. Two heads, three heads… multiple heads are so much better than one…Isn’t that right Wurzel?
PHOTO BY VINCENT VAN ZALINGE ON UNSPLASH
