How do you handle asking copywriters and designers for changes on work they’re doing for you? Here’s an example of what not to do.
Today, one of our clients emailed us about a project, asking us to change [Paragraph X] to [Paragraph Y]. The two paragraphs conveyed the same ideas, but the wording was somewhat different. Well, Paragraph Y didn’t fit in the allotted space. We couldn’t reach the client, and there was a deadline looming. What to do?
Changing the wording was risky, since we didn’t know what was driving the request in the first place. Reworking the design to create more space for Paragraph Y would take a lot of work, perhaps needlessly.
With some extra work and a little trepidation, we made the requested change. But it would have been far easier and faster if the client had told us the thinking behind the request.
When working with copywriters and designers, I always try to refrain from dictating a specific change. I’ve found it’s much more productive to specify what does and does not work for me, and why – i.e., the dropout type is too hard to read, or there are too many competing elements. If I leave the details of the fix to those doing the work, they almost always come up with a better solution than I would have.
