Strategic Problem Solving Assessment

It's important that the designer grasps the client's situation or design problem and demonstrates its capabilities to think strategically. A designer's strategic contribution is a natural extension of assessing information and problem solving and providing a sound basis from which outstanding creative work can emerge. A designer's ability to interpret and apply information should provide an enhancement to the creative work and directly contribute to effectively building a sound, intelligent and enduring strategy and distinctive design voice. The ability to marry information with informed judgment into brilliant creative and executable strategies is the hallmark of a superior designer.

• In the case studies presented, did the designer make intelligent use of information and resources available -- and base conclusions on sufficient information?
• In the case studies presented, did the designer identify the critical and important issues and make a link between those issues that are relevant to your assignment?
• Did the designer project the capability to be a true partner -- did they present both short-term and long-term reasons for hiring them and how these will be beneficial to the assignment?
• If there wasn't sufficient time to learn about you, the client, and obtain information about design problems, did the designer take smart risks, play it safe or wing it during the presentation?
• Did the design firm with more than one discipline (i.e., graphic and interactive design or architecture and industrial design) demonstrate how best to leverage strategy and creative work for consistency?
• Did the designer do any competitive analysis of your business or product and was the analysis thoughtful and illuminating?

Creativity Assessment

As mentioned earlier, case studies serve as a window into the designer's creative capabilities. It is difficult to create superior and enduring creative work under the best of circumstances. A designer's presentation of past work will provide a sense of quality and performance. But, case studies and any speculative creative work should only be viewed as directional and an indicator of the designer's potential. Industry recognition in the form of awards along with contacting previous clients for references will be helpful factors.

• Were the creative ideas presented in the case studies strategic and well-grounded with objective reasoning?
• Were the creative concepts and executions innovative, distinctive, provocative and relevant?
• Were the creative executions professional and consistent with the client's brand personality and reputation?
• Was the overall work presented intelligent and outstanding?

What's the Quality and Experience of the People

The superiority of the work results from the design team's people -- its primary resource and asset. How one feels about the quality, skills and capabilities of the design team and their management, creativity, and the ability to give and take -- is at the core of creating a great client/designer relationship. In addition, you want to find a design consultant who has a no-surprises attitude. Surprises invariably mean increased costs, project extensions and often, glaring mistakes.

• What is the perceived level of experience and expertise of the design team's people?
• Did the designer demonstrate strength across various disciplines and capabilities?
• During their presentations to you, did the team have good rapport amongst themselves?
• If there is a senior manager as part of the design team, will they stay involved in the relationship? If so, in what capacity?
• Were they proactive in their approach, thought process and ideas?
• Did they exhibit conceptual as well as strategic thinking?
• Did they do their homework? Were they good listeners?
• Were they receptive and responsive to your questions?
• Did you like them?

Is There a Philosophical and Cultural Fit

Outstanding client/designer relationships are built upon a common sense of purpose, goals and objectives. There should be a mutual respect and understanding for approach, process, style and core values. All of these lead to staying power, great creative work and a fun, rewarding experience.

• How well will the fit be?
• Does the designer embody the client's core values?
• What does the designer's client list say about their past or existing work relationships?
• Was it easy to communicate with the designer during the evaluation?
• Do you trust the designer?
• Would they challenge the status quo and go the extra mile to improve the end product?

The search process for a designer has judgmental factors. It's a process of weighting these various factors out based on written and oral presentations. It may take time to feel comfortable with a designer, and with the final decision. However, the process is an important one that should be comprehensive and thoughtful.