Being great at any one thing seems to be extremely difficult. Being great at a handful of things is even harder. So, why would anyone want to even attempt being the best at completing every piece of a project cycle?
I raise the question because it’s a desire I’ve observed in myself not only in the design cycle, but I also experienced the phenomenon while writing music in a band. I think the need for control, or the lack of trust can be found at the root of this desire. It’s interesting though because in my experience, doing everything myself often results in an outcome that isn’t nearly as good as the resulting outcome of working equally with others.
So, what is “everything”? In the case of web design and development, “everything” would include the brand design, the wire-frames and information architecture, the high fidelity comps, client and server side development, SEO, marketing, and ultimately the maintenance of the site. I’m sure you could even add in the initial business strategy piece and a whole slew of other steps that go even further into different disciplines. Point is, there is a lot going on here.
When I was in a band, we were preparing a few songs for the studio in 2005. At that time, I thought that I knew what was best for the band, and I pushed my ideas very hard. So hard in fact that often my ideas smothered the ideas of others. I had no problem telling the drummer and bass guitarist what to play. I also would not hesitate to tell the lead guitarist (which happened to be a much better guitarist than me) what to play. I adored the resulting songs, but the rest of the guys in the band were never quite thrilled with them. I wonder why.
Enter 2007, beginning of 2008. Again, the band and I were preparing to go back into the studio to record a couple more songs. I happened to be extremely busy at the time working on design projects. I decided to focus more time on design, and I stepped back from the song writing process. What happened next was amazing. The songs that these guys wrote and put together were by far the best songs the band had ever put together. I handed over my initial ideas for the riffs to the guys, and they turned them into something special. I then wrote some lyrics over the music, and we were set for the studio.
Sometimes great results are achieved when one person does everything, so I can’t say definitively that involving more than one person is always a better solution. I mean, look at Trent Reznor. Here’s a guy that had a vision that reigned on multiple platforms in what would appear to be flawless execution. But even then, how many Trent Reznor’s are there out there? And can you imagine what his music would sound like if he worked with the likes of Maynard James Keenan or another musician of that caliber? Who knows, it could result in trash, or it could elevate the outcome.
I think that as a creative person, it’s difficult to trust others with your vision. It’s even more difficult at times to allow your vision to meld with the vision of another. Often though, the old saying is true, “2 heads are better than one”. Being able to take criticism and work the experience of others into your design work is a skill that may take a while to master, but I have to say that I believe that through collaboration, the best work is created.
