Bookclub In-House Design In Practice - chapter 00-01 by Cathy Fishel

1. IN-HOUSE
DESIGN
IN PRACTICE
REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS FOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
By CATHY FISHEL
BOOKCLUB
190105
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2. CHAPTER 00
AN INTRODUCTION
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3. I. PREFACE
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The UPSIDE of IN-HOUSE Design Department:
+ Companies are now recognizing the benefit of having
a strong internal creative team.
+ Design touches every department in a corporation, giving in-house
designers a broader range of projects and interactions with
a wider range of employees than anyone else in the company.
+ Many companies are now providing a boat load of incentives
and made more creative workspace to lure designers.
+ Many design conferences & awards nowadays for in-house.
The DOWNSIDE of IN-HOUSE Design Department:
- Many still don’t have the opportunity to grow.
Being squeezed to do more work with less.
- Outsourcing is affecting corporations that have off-loaded dept.
- Lack of focus and weak business strategy.
- Isolated from the mainstream design culture

4. II. INTRODUCTION
What is an in-house designer?
Using the simplest definition,
an in-house designer is
a professional creative
who produces graphic design
for, and is an employee of,
an organization/company
whose main business
is not usually design related.
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There are many advantages to working as an in-house designer:
 The in-house designer is usually provided with increased
opportunities and benefits (regular paycheck) as an employee of
a larger organization. More stability in the future.
Fullfilment, sense of prestige and pride.
 The in-house designer is able to develop a more focused
specialization/subject expertise. Consistent message in the design.
There are many cons as well:
 The organization’s efficiencies often work against creativity.
 In-house designers can feel isolated, from others in the
organization and from outside creatives.
II. INTRODUCTION
Why work in-house?

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Designers working inside of an
organization have a greater responsibility
to show the power of design and how it
can benefit business. Prove the value of
their work.
After 17 years and over 1000 designs,
FOSSIL self-published a retrospective
book celebrating the history, philosophy,
and inspiration behind their tin packaging.
The book TINSPIRATION was a exciting
project for the in-house team.
II. INTRODUCTION
Tim Hale, Fossil, Inc.

7. CHAPTER 01
IN-HOUSE DESIGN IN THEORY
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8. lia s. Associates
Defining Your Position
I. What do you do?
Back to the definition stated in the introduction:
an in-house designer is a professional creative who produces
graphic design for, and is an employee of, an organization/company
whose main business is not usually design related.
In other way:
an in-house designers is
a professional creative who enables the organization to
communicate with its customers/audience;
differentiate, explain, and promote its product or service;
and connects the organization to success.

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Defining Your Position
II. What should you not do?
• You are not a service department.
Establish yourself within the organization as a design expert, not
just a pair of hands waiting to execute other people’s bright ideas.
• You are not a miracle worker, nor should you play the hero or
martyr. When jobs come in with inadequate recources information,
time, budget, etc. It’s not your responsibility to pull it out of the fire
barehanded.
• You should not sit idly by as plum jobs are sent out of house. if
work needs to be sent outside, you should be making the decision.
• You should not be an enabler of your employer’s bad habits or be a
willing victim. If procedure of any kind is making your life or work a
misery, it is your responsibility to work to change it.

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It’s not enough to act as, or be regarded simply as, a creative person.
You must also be a very effective manager and leader.
Manage time, budget, and other resources in ways that best benefit the organization

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You have 3 masters to serve &
satisfy at one time:
1. The brand
2. Sales
3. Design
Build the brand, improve sales,
and be creatively satisfied.
Defining Your Position
III. Case Study: FOSSIL INC.

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Defining Your Position
IV. Case Study: METRO
1. Set graphic standard.
A friendlier tone (brand value),
logo consistency, type & grid system
= creating templates
2. Find/ be your in-house champions
Take the responsibility,
make the decisions that affect
what you & your team do.
3. Lobby a place at the table.
Prepare well.
Every job, no matter how small,
is important to someone. Give respect.

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Defining Your Position
V. What does your employer do?
At the most basic level, your organizations has a system to run the
business.
In-house designer must studying the company’s structure.
1. Identify:
+ who the ultimate decisions maker
+ who the in-house angel
2. Study:
+ the organization long term, big picture goals and vision are
+ the organization short term goals and concerns
3. Give solution
+ convince that design has real benefit, now and in the future

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Defining Your Position
VI. Case Study:
MUTUAL OF OMAHA
We are the keepers of the brand.
The people who work here are
our partners.
Story about rebranding.

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Defining Your Position
VII. What does you employer want you to do?
People want to enter the department, place their order,
and want the designer to plop the order on the tray.
We just want them and we want them fast.
This order-after-order mentality has to be changed.
Co-workers have to be shown, through the designer’s actions,
that a much better product –and sometimes, better price and
schedule –can be delivered.

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Defining Your Position
VIII. Employer or client?
Some prefer to regard their employer as just that –an employer.
Some have an outside perspective to regard their employer as a client.
Whatever the perspective is, you help your employer/client define
particular problems or needs and then help it find the best solution.
= be a problem solver

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Defining Your Position
IX. Case Study: FOSSIL INC.
More from FOSSIL:
Discovering the vision that lies
at the heart of any company.

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Defining Your Position
X. Case Study: NICKELODEON
“Agencies have so many clients,
we only have one –our company.
We create the brand –every squiggle of it”
Rohat Cellali-Sik, Nickelodeon UK graphic designer.
When you show that you can be smart with ideas
and with their purse, then they trust you.

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Defining Your Position
XI. Case Study: WHIRLPOOL, INC.
Meaningful role.
Help define the process of design:
+ How can design contribute here?
+ How can talents be used?
+ How can team be organized?
Design decisions can impact the face of
the organization to the public, and how we can
better work together with our business partners.
“It comes down to advocating design every day”
Brian Edlefson, Art Director for Whirlpool, Inc.

20. 1. Understand a big organization as
a partner.
2. Accept your responsibilities.
Therefore gain respect.
Everybody is an important part
of the structure, even if he/she
only plays a tiny role in it.
3. Accept communication rules.
Keep the balance between
creatives ideas and economic needs.
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Defining Your Position
XII. Case Study:
LOMOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
INTERNATIONAL

21. THANK YOU
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