After starting up our web design and development agency, Pelago, in August of 2000, it took only a few months to realize we would have to add a project manager to our eclectic mix of creatives. Our creative design and development skills were enough to get a project started on the right track with brilliant ideas and visual direction, but we were lacking in our ability to incorporate the client in the process and complete projects in a timely manner, especially as our projects grew bigger in budget and size.

1. Project Managers:
Why Every Creative Agency Needs One
After starting up our web design and
development agency, Pelago, in August of 2000,
it took only a few months to realize we would
have to add a project manager to our eclectic
mix of creatives. Our creative design and
development skills were enough to get a project
started on the right track with brilliant ideas and
visual direction, but we were lacking in our
ability to incorporate the client in the process
and complete projects in a timely manner,
especially as our projects grew bigger in budget
and size.

2. That was when we decided to hire Michael. Since that fateful interview
at a coffee shop eight years ago, Michael has become one of the best
project managers any creative agency could hope for. Having steered
us through two recessions and streamlined our internal creative and
billing processes, we’ve made him a partner. And we’ve never looked
back. Based on our nine-plus years of experience as a web design and
development agency, here are some reasons why we think every
creative firm should have a project manager, or at the very least,
someone capable of playing the role.

3. Protect the designer from the client
It’s no secret designers and other creative types don’t like being told
what to do during the visual design phases of a project. The
collaborative process of critiquing and improving a design is often
restricted to a group of like-minded peers, and certainly, not ever, the
client. But many clients want to have a say in the design process, and
they are the ones paying the bills. The project manager is the best
candidate for interpreting the clients wishes into a language the
designer can understand. The designer may not like it, but they are far
more likely to listen to a respected colleague than lend credibility to the
client’s requests.

4. Protect the client from the designer
Designers can be so immovable (I know this because I am) that the
project manager sometimes needs to protect the client from the
designer. When it comes to tact, creatives aren’t the best at telling the
client their ideas are wrong or not as good as what has been
presented. Again playing the role of ambassador, a project manager
can interject and reduce the tension a client may feel when interacting
with a difficult designer.

5. Keeping the spatial and abstract creative
on a linear path
The creative mind is a vastly complex and indescribable machine,
capable of churning out brilliant ideas and visual work during the
oddest moments and cursed with the inexplicable phenomenon of
shutting down during others. In addition, the concept of keeping a
project on a linear path is a foreign concept to creatives who like to
work in a non-modal manner, tinkering with their work until they get it
just right. A project manager is able to understand the creative team
best having worked alongside them and knows best how to keep the
team on track. She can encourage the creative team during slumps
and corral them in when deadlines loom and budgets bear down.

6. Objectify the subjective
The subjective is very difficult to objectify or quantify. How do you know
which typeface is the right one to use? Font size? Color pallet?
Photography? Copy? Yes, there are web metrics and numerous studies
to help guide creatives in the right direction, but the art of crafting
something beautiful and effective is still, and I hope always will be,
dominated by subjectivity. The project manager can help the designer
put words to their work and help explain to the creative team and the
client practical reasons for why they produced the work in question. It is
also a good career builder for the creative to be able to talk about their
work in ways that other non-creatives can understand. A good designer
does need to be able to create work that will successfully convey a
message on its own, without explanation, but a good designer also
must be able to tell others why their work is successful.

7. Keeping it all organized
Without our project manager I would not be able to tell you that we’ve
worked on over 300 projects for more than 100 clients, or where to
find a client contract, or where to put files on the media server.
Creatives are great at what they do, but organizational skills aren’t
always a strong suit. Some say creativity is born from the chaos around
their workspace, and while others maintain a clean and organized
workspace, business records and the like often fall prey to the
cardboard boxes in the closet. Project managers can keep a creative
agency on track by keeping client contracts up-to-date and setting up
organization methods for the team; things like file cabinets, intuitive
directory structures on the media server, and archives of completed
projects. Overall, a project manager is a great resource for filling in the
gaps left behind by the creative mind as it churns its way through daily
challenge of creating the compelling.

8. Ultimately, your relationship with the client is the most important factor
for keeping a project on schedule. Assuming you’ve established a good
working relationship, these tips will keep a client partnership healthy
and keep your projects on time.

9. Check out the Intervals blog for more articles…
The Intervals Blog
A collection of useful tips, tales and opinions based on decades of
collective experience designing and developing web sites and web-
based applications.
www.myintervals.com/blog

10. Check out the Intervals blog for more articles…
The Intervals Blog
A collection of useful tips, tales and opinions based on decades of
collective experience designing and developing web sites and web-
based applications.
www.myintervals.com/blog