Design and art can be one of the most uplifting and inspiring careers you can pursue. However, not everyone goes into it with the same passion for creativity and service. Unfortunately, the industry is filled to the brim with more than its fair share of snobs and egotistical โartistsโ who not only look down on their peers but treat their customers poorly as well. How do you deal with folks like this, and how do you avoid becoming one of them?
What Is A Snobby Designer?
Egotistical designers and art directors are pretty easy to spot. Weโre talking about the all-black-wearing โexpertsโ who seem to care more about meet-ups and conferences than creating real art and serving customers. One therapist described egotists asย โunabashedly talking about themselves, praising themselves, really into themselves.โ As a client, one of the ways to know you may be dealing with one is to evaluate your interactions. Snobs tend to contradict your ideas and make you feel pretty stupid. They have a tone that oozes with โI know best; donโt you dare disagree with me.โ When entrepreneurs and business owners try working with a designer like this, the results are often inconsistent with their branding, and the process is painful. Even if they have an impressive resume, itโs always better to look for professionals with a good attitude who are more committed to your success than their own ego.
The Four Secrets To Working With Egotistical Designers
You donโt always get to choose which boss or colleagues you end up having to work with. Understanding how to deal with difficult personalities is one of the most essential parts of becoming a mature professional. Here are the four secrets to ensuring all your projects are successful, even if you have to work with a snobby artist:
#1 Be Humble
Dealing with an arrogant designer on your team is a real pain. However, sometimes, a single genuine compliment may be all that person needs to go from being your enemy to your ally. Remember, this is about collaboration and not a competition. Egotistical personalities tend to view everything as a dog-eats-dog fight. They always want the credit. They always want to be first. If you can remind them (and yourself) that youโre all on the same team, that may help you complete your project more efficiently and collaborate more successfully. Know somebody in the office who lives for an argument or the chance to show they know better?
#2 Communicate Clearly and Often
Whether youโre a colleague or a client of an egotistical designer, clear and precise communication (in writing) is vital. Puffed-up folks tend to view their ways as universally superior to everyone elseโs. This means they tend to go on their own paths regardless of what theyโve been told. Assert your project requirements on paper to ensure your needs are met as a client. As a team member, do all you can to get both you and them on the same page, working toward the same goal.
#3 Speak With Your Superior
If things are terrible and the personโs behavior is reducing your quality of life at work or threatening the project’s success, consider speaking with your superior. In a smaller agency, this may be the owner of the firm, or it may be a manager if youโre working at a larger company. Donโt name the individual, but share your concerns about the teamโs collaboration issues. If your superior is aware of whatโs going on, they may be able to have that person moved to another project so that you can focus on the task at hand. It can feel uncomfortable to escalate like this, but itโs also important not to let the bad attitudes of colleagues threaten your ability to serve your clients.
#4 Avoid Them
If all else fails, simply try to avoid them. If youโre a client, donโt work with them again. If youโre a fellow employee of theirs, try to get assigned to projects that you can do on your own or that donโt involve working with the individual. Even if you wind up working on something with them, itโs sometimes possible to simply work around them and get the job done.
How To Avoid Becoming A Snobby Artist Yourself
Sure, weโve all known some people like this going back to our early school days. However, Iโve seen many starry-eyed artists go on to become droll snobs themselves. Just because you donโt think youโre an egotistical artist now, you could become one. How do you prevent your professional success and the self-promotional activity thatโs necessary to win clients in a highly competitive marketplace, inflate your own ego, and turn yourself into the very person you want to avoid? Follow these tips:
Donโt Follow The Leader
Many of these high-and-mighty designers and art directors have amassed fairly impressive resumes over the years. With their black clothes and stylish approach, itโs easy for younger designers to become enamored with the hype. You start to think to yourself, โThatโs what winning looks like.โ However, if you could look into their offices and see what their employees and peers think of them, youโd likely come to a different conclusion. Remember that psychologists tie egotism to insecurities. Arrogant people are often attempting to cover up for various weaknesses or may have had a difficult upbringing and now struggle to form real relationships. Donโt be distracted by these people and instead focus on honing your craft.
Donโt Attend Self-Congratulation Parties
Some conferences have been designed to help entrepreneurs build connections with potential clients. These are highly valuable. However, others are more like back-patting sessions where art directors, designers, and others get together to bask in the glow of their so-called talent. These clubs and events are, frankly, a waste of your time and will either leave you discouraged that you arenโt as โcoolโ as them or drive you to imitate them. Itโs better to avoid them altogether.
Always Put Your Clients First
The biggest advice we can give here is to spend your time focused on your clients. Donโt treat every interaction as an opportunity to sell them on something. ย In the marketing world, they call it: โnurturing.โ Itโs about building genuine relationships with your clients instead of viewing them as stepping stones. Have some extra time? Instead of going to another โnetworking event,โ send out a few emails to your clients, just checking up on them and seeing how they’re doing. Focus on improving your craft, bringing down your turnaround times, and keeping your customers happy.
Learn More About The Graphic Design Industry
Chris Lo, founder of Matcha Design, has been in this business for decades, and heโs seen it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. With thousands of hours focused on service quality and customer relationships, heโs never had time for snobby artists or egotistical designers. According to Chris, itโs crucial to be selective about who you work with. Donโt rush just to hire whoeverโs available. Finding great collaborators with fantastic talent is one of the most important skills you can develop.
Find out whether or not youโre a design snob by taking this quiz.
To learn more about what itโs like to work in the design space and how to advance your career, keep exploring the Matcha Design blog!
