You Pick Two

by Mark Dreistadt | Feb 22, 2019 | Consulting, Creative

As a creative agency we continuously have dozens of projects in process for our clients. Each client is unique with its own defined style and verbiage. Consequently, each piece of creative — whether it is a brochure, a website, a TV commercial, a podcast, or dozens of other types of projects — requires careful and thoughtful creation.

However, we have found that most clients basically want three things when it comes to creative projects. They want their project to be done well, they want it to be done quickly, and they want it to be as inexpensive as possible. Therein lies the dilemma…

Good – Fast – Cheap are the three words that all too often summarize a client’s expectations. However, the truth is you can only have two of the three…

If something is Good and Fast – it likely won’t be Cheap. If your priority is high quality and you need it right away, expect to pay a premium for that service. Producing a high-quality creative product requires time and focus. To achieve this quickly means other things will have to be set aside — other projects will have to wait — so a premium price is typically charged to cover any expense related to reprioritizing the production schedule to quickly provide a client with great creative.

If something is Fast and Cheap – it likely won’t be very Good. If speed is your priority and your budget is limited, the quality level will likely not be as high as it could be. Good creative takes time. Great creative takes more time. However, there are times when all you need is a functional piece that does not need to be so highly designed. I remember an occasion when one of our clients was producing a television special. The editor went to work creating a graphic open for the show. He spent two weeks creating a magnificent 30 second show open that would only be seen once. Too much budget for the application.

If something is Good and Cheap – it likely won’t be Fast. If your priority is high quality and your budget is tight then early planning can be your best friend. If you allow plenty of time, you can often negotiate a great deal on quality creative. Time allows the agency to plan ahead for your project and fit it into the overall production schedule as they are able.

Good – Fast – Cheap … You Pick Two!

Let Infinity Concepts help you with your next creative project.
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