Imperfection Is Ideal / by Alexander Lyadov

Every advertising pro knows the "crocodile in the corner".

It's all about not presenting the perfect design to the client.

There's a risk the client will declare, "Everything needs to change."

They feel compelled to make some comment.

After all, perfection is unattainable, so a flaw must be found at any cost.

As a result, cool ideas get messed up, deadlines get broken, and so on.

The designer tackles this issue by slipping in an element of obvious nonsense. It could be:

  • A mistake in the date of the advertised event,

  • A neighboring Pantone hue in corporate logo,

  • A missed client comment from the last meeting, etc.

The critic's gaze immediately hooks onto the loop of imperfection.

"What the #@?! Get rid of this! The rest is fine," everyone exhales.

But this approach is also useful when it comes to yourself.

Otherwise, you, like that client, can harm yourself.

Try taking the next step consciously "imperfect."

In other words, it's a "draft," not the "final product."

Furthermore, this approach is often closer to the truth.

"Work in progress" perfectly describes who we are and what we do.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander


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