I am not a creative director. I am not a designer or have the slightest clue how to create a vector shape. However, I do know the difference between what looks good and what looks bad.

I can also tell the difference between work that was well thought out and proofread versus work that was done in 5 minutes between facebook surfing and msn chatting. In my career in marketing, I have worked with various companies, agencies, contractors and designers and in those years, have learned a thing or two about the different types of designers. There are some who naturally possess what is referred to as “the design gene”. In other words, these people just “get it’. You can’t learn it, you can’t teach it, you either have it or you don’t. Those who naturally possess it have the potential to create pieces that are great. Note that great is the word I use, not just “good“.

Then there are those who possess the talent but lack the business acumen and the attention to detail that makes their results mediocre, and in better cases, just good. That is the fundamental theory that is discussed in Jim Collin’s book “From Good to Great” – that the differentiator from a company that is just good versus a company that is great is all in the little details. I think this theory applies to many aspects of life – in friendships, relationships, work. Are you just average at something (and I’m referring to your effort and approach)? Are you good at it? Or are you great at it?

I write this blog today because I am frustrated with the agencies and designers that I have worked with that approach work with a level of mere mediocrity. Don’t submit something if it is half done, created with the main goal of clicking “send” in order to get your sigh of relief so you can move on to the next. Review your work , ensure there are no spelling errors, and ask yourself if the piece was created with 100% or just 65%. If it’s the latter, then it is better to hold on to it and ask for more time so that you can perfect it and be proud of what you are submitting than to submit something that is half complete.

If you were a chef at a fancy restaurant and presented a meal that was only 65% cooked or 65% prepared what reaction do you think you’d receive?  What if the ingredients were right, the cooking temperature was perfect but you threw it on a plate like chopped liver? You botched the plating – the icing on the cake.  That is the difference between good to great. Relating back to design – those who are great designers – are not necessarily those who are the most talented in the world. Rather, they are the ones that take the time to perfect the details, to add finesse and ease in the process and deliver a great product consistently, each and every time.