3 Lessons from the Couch People.
Criticism is hard to take. Especially as a creative. Yet stakeholder input is critical for ensuring successful designs. And how this feedback is delivered matters very much. I’ve seen it done well, and not so.
Enter the “Couch People.” Early in my design career, we’d prepare for our apparel Seasonal Design Review. A chance for leadership to see the many lines created, and ensure they meet the brand goals.
The setup for the presentation room is simple. A long black leather couch sits in the middle of a large open room. Upon this couch sits three product leaders dressed in all black (turtlenecks!) with concerned looks on their faces. The Couch People. They’re the focal point in the room. Ready to dispense their wisdom.
The designers nervously wait their turn. Team by team, each wheel their garment racks to the front of the sofa. Here they unveil several months of hard work. The bulk of it handmade mockups sewn themselves or by factory partners. Each item represents valuable measures of thought, effort, and resources.
The presentations are now underway. And suddenly one of the Couch Persons halts the presentation. Wearing a concerned facial expression, she strokes her chin and says, “I'm just not feeling this.” Panic and fear fill the room. Will it be us next?
Whole product lines are blown up with this kind of subjective “design direction.” With vague feedback, teams scramble to start over (deadlines unchanged of course!). Survival, not success, is the motivating factor now.
True creative direction is a worthy goal. But it must come at the right time in the process. Otherwise, it hinders the full potential of all: People, Product, and Process.
As creative directors and product leaders, we owe it to our teams to provide input. Yet, our inputs must add value to the designers, the product and business, and the brand story. Not to feed egos and justify roles.
3 Lessons from the Couch People:
Set the guardrails early with Seasonal Brand Direction
Create a robust Product Brief (or Agreement) that defines objective success
From this, a product emerges with a strong story for the Customer