Working with clients means designing three options
The way Simona perceives herself when she’s presenting herself and her design work for a whole group of potential clients, for example for a museum, she’s way more serious compared to how she is in the classroom. Teaching feels like an open space, where she can play, search and discover with students. In more professional settings Simone behaves in a formal way.
“I’m very aware I’m a woman, I’m not that tall, I’m not Dutch. All of these things I somehow have to compensate. I have to use more correct language. Be more convincing, all my words are well thought of. Well prepared. Everything is more prepared and choreographed before stepping into the meeting. The moment someone pays you to do something, it’s really direct. If you are in the middle of a creative process with teammates you create this space together, as co-creation and co-discovery… But this is a very different thing, having a day job and designing in assignment compared to creating something in my own space. It is a completely different experience. You design something, and you can be very excited about a specific direction, but then the client says: “I like that one better.” The way I handle this now, is that I propose 3 design directions. And everything I think should be in there, I already put into these 3 options. And then, even if they say: “combine all three”, I’ve thought of ways how I can manage. So: I put my heart in the preparation of the options, and in the meeting itself, and then the outcome will be less important to me.”
