In the movie Megamind, Megamind succinctly explains to Tighten (he misspells “Titan”) the difference between a villain and a super villain. While Tighten is very evil and villainess he just doesn’t compare to Megamind’s audacious and theatrical performances during the movie. Watch the clip above to see what I mean.
The same is true for a good designer and a super designer. A good designer will attempt to craft smart solutions to visual problems at hand, but often they will stop there, expecting a creative director or client to be won over by the visuals alone, letting the work speak for itself, and asking only “What do you think?” or respond to critiques, "I can totally make that any color." or "I can easily change that, I was just putting something there." This relies on client feedback as the driver of the design instead of the designer taking on the leadership of the project.
I’ve done this many times. Even recently. It’s easy, and sometimes you get lazy. I get it. But remember that a design is only as good as its presentation. You have to sell it. Pitch it. What angle are you taking? What emotion are you appealing to? It needs to be tight. Have an answer for every possible question that could be brought up, but just as important, be honest if you’ve overlooked something or don’t have a concrete answer.
Vulnerability and openness can be a solid persuasive partner to full-blown, unwavering confidence.
Consider your design-critiquing audience. Is it a creative director, a client, a peer, a colleague? Are you in collaborative mode versus a big reveal or vice versa? Take all of these nuances into account to prepare for your big presentation.
Sometimes it helps to anticipate possible questions about your design, while you’re actually designing it. This can give your work a self-induced, objective point of view that makes it a better design. Design for those potential questions that may come up during a presentation and you’ll be on your way to becoming a super designer.