A Musician’s Guide to Working with a Designer
Howdy! Today I’m going to marry two of my passions to give my music friends some insight that (hopefully) doesn’t feel patronizing. I do graphics and UX projects as both my job and as a hobby. I sometimes take freelance projects for musicians varying from flyer design, album art, CD layouts (for print), and media elements to incorporate photos. I love this type of work. I’m also a musician with multiple released media / album projects. And as a musician that does her own artwork, I’ve realized that there are things I instinctively and by trade know that many of my clients do not. These are tips for potential clients (or any musician working with a designer) so they can maximize their experience with a visual artist:
1. LOTS of options! And for this I mean photos. Give me everything from that shoot. Tell me your favorites for sure and tell me which you don’t want and why. I can retouch photos, change lighting, warp, and fix lens issues so don’t be afraid to hand over photos you are iffy on. And communicate! “This photo would be perfect if it were a little brighter and my acne weren’t so prominent” or “I wish this photo better showed off the teal hue of my dress.” I can’t promise magic but I can do quite a bit.
2. Give me your vision and be open to interpretation. I need some direction before jumping in but then I need some space to create. I may have ideas you’ve never considered and can step away from your invested POV to see the forest for the trees. On the flip-side, I love free reign, but if you have a vision, send a sketch, a sentence (or more), or an example. It helps me on the back-and-forth exchange and ensures I will deliver closer to your desired end-product.
3. Send the RAW (untouched, unedited, uncropped, unfiltered) photos. You may have your favorite filter from your trusty apps, but the likelihood of your filter interfering with my process is high. Your edits may have altered the edges (vignettes and borders), the colors, lighting, etc. Also I prefer photos that have not been converted to black and white as there are different methods for doing so. And please send them in the size they were originally given to you. I need access to those pixels in their raw forms to best serve you. Just as you should send raw recorded wave files (unedited, uncompressed, uneffected) to your producer for the best results, do the same with sending your photos to your designer.
4. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t like it or want something a little different. Design is very subjective. At the end of the day you are the client. You are paying for this work. An experienced designer will not be hurt if you are truly dissatisfied, need a tweak, or the end product strayed too far from your vision. If you can communicate your vision up front that helps (see tip 2) as well. A good designer will ask questions and give you options. If they don’t, speak up.
5. Make sure you will own the work created by your artist. This is important especially if new artwork (drawings, paintings, original digital art) is created for your project. You will want to use the images in other media and probably do not want to be paying royalties. This may mean you owe more up front. Discuss these terms and any questions you have BEFORE your artist gets started.
6. Do not provide any use material to your designer that you don’t have permission to use. Examples and inspiration should be understood by your designer as just that, but you need permission to actually incorporate photos, drawings, etc into the design if coming from another source. Do not ask your designer to work in someone else’s IP without appropriate permissions being in place. This can place you in a sticky spot legally and with your designer.
This is not an exhaustive list of course and isn’t meant to call out any artist or musician. It’s about education to make your experiences moving forward with your process partners the best they can be. If you have any questions please reach out!
Love to all!
Sarah
1. LOTS of options! And for this I mean photos. Give me everything from that shoot. Tell me your favorites for sure and tell me which you don’t want and why. I can retouch photos, change lighting, warp, and fix lens issues so don’t be afraid to hand over photos you are iffy on. And communicate! “This photo would be perfect if it were a little brighter and my acne weren’t so prominent” or “I wish this photo better showed off the teal hue of my dress.” I can’t promise magic but I can do quite a bit.
2. Give me your vision and be open to interpretation. I need some direction before jumping in but then I need some space to create. I may have ideas you’ve never considered and can step away from your invested POV to see the forest for the trees. On the flip-side, I love free reign, but if you have a vision, send a sketch, a sentence (or more), or an example. It helps me on the back-and-forth exchange and ensures I will deliver closer to your desired end-product.
3. Send the RAW (untouched, unedited, uncropped, unfiltered) photos. You may have your favorite filter from your trusty apps, but the likelihood of your filter interfering with my process is high. Your edits may have altered the edges (vignettes and borders), the colors, lighting, etc. Also I prefer photos that have not been converted to black and white as there are different methods for doing so. And please send them in the size they were originally given to you. I need access to those pixels in their raw forms to best serve you. Just as you should send raw recorded wave files (unedited, uncompressed, uneffected) to your producer for the best results, do the same with sending your photos to your designer.
4. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t like it or want something a little different. Design is very subjective. At the end of the day you are the client. You are paying for this work. An experienced designer will not be hurt if you are truly dissatisfied, need a tweak, or the end product strayed too far from your vision. If you can communicate your vision up front that helps (see tip 2) as well. A good designer will ask questions and give you options. If they don’t, speak up.
5. Make sure you will own the work created by your artist. This is important especially if new artwork (drawings, paintings, original digital art) is created for your project. You will want to use the images in other media and probably do not want to be paying royalties. This may mean you owe more up front. Discuss these terms and any questions you have BEFORE your artist gets started.
6. Do not provide any use material to your designer that you don’t have permission to use. Examples and inspiration should be understood by your designer as just that, but you need permission to actually incorporate photos, drawings, etc into the design if coming from another source. Do not ask your designer to work in someone else’s IP without appropriate permissions being in place. This can place you in a sticky spot legally and with your designer.
This is not an exhaustive list of course and isn’t meant to call out any artist or musician. It’s about education to make your experiences moving forward with your process partners the best they can be. If you have any questions please reach out!
Love to all!
Sarah
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