As color is subjective,
we need good reasons for our choices.
In this lesson, I'll discuss my approach and create a presentation that includes language
that helps to move the reaction from emotional to rational.
I've been a designer for over 35 years,
and I still worry about presentations.
Will it work or go very, very badly?
I
shouldn't.
I usually go well,
and I enjoy collaborating with people.
But
throw in everyone's subjective sense of color,
and presentations can either stay on track or suddenly go off the rails.
I'm on the other side, as an educator.
I know now that 99% of designers
get nervous presenting.
Now, you may be thinking, well,
clients will never doubt Sean,
but what about me?
Don't worry.
I
get that blank look from clients too sometimes.
Although the grayer my hair became,
the more clients seem to trust me.
Okay, first off, you don't need gray hair.
You need confidence.
You know what you're doing.
You're probably the most expert person in the room with design and communication.
Like a good doctor,
you know your stuff,
but are always willing to listen to the patient.
Let's walk through my presentation for the Sundance Film Festival.
I
create my presentation in Keynote,
or you could use PowerPoint,
and I share this in person or now on Zoom.
I also make a printout for people to follow,
and I leave this behind.
I have a standard template that I use for presentations with a consistent grid,
typography, and colors.
This
creates a consistent look for all my presentations and has a unified look for my identity.
It's important that the document explains itself,
as these presentations tend to be passed along to people who may know nothing of the project and have odd opinions.
Start by restating the project.
This
reminds the viewer what they are looking at and why.
So many times,
somebody has said, I didn't know we were doing that.
Then I explain, as plainly as possible, who,
how, and what.
I've never been one for fancy market-ease language or trying to make things complex and overly intellectual.
You did the research.
You don't need to cite every source.
This is the broad overview.
If
need be, you can add all the detailed information in another document.
Rely on diagrams more than text.
Keep
them simple and clear.
People respond to visuals better than numbers and words.
Each page isn't meant to be read or have all the information.
They are a prompt for you to explain.
Here, I remind them about all the points of contact to reinforce that this is a larger project than just one poster or a catalog.
Next, I want to get everyone on the same page with a message before showing any visuals.
I
explain the idea of the Sundance Film Festival from the research.
It's more than just a week of movies.
This statement helped everyone besides Robert Redford and Samantha Fleming,
the chief creative, to
understand the message that needs to be communicated rather than their own personal idea.
I
present the unique qualities
and the quality of the festival or any project you might be working on.
This is the one thing that nobody else can claim.
Back it up with an image.
Prove the idea.
People typically believe what they see.
Again,
this isn't a book report about the festival with lots of bullet point.
It's a presentation.
Make
it dramatic.
List
the attributes that have previously been discussed and approved.
This
is also in the service of reinforcing the message.
Later,
when someone says, I don't know about the solution,
you can refer to this list.
What points are we missing?
Rather than, do you like it?
I've also presented each attribute by itself and explained it to reinforce the message if needed.
Now
that I've covered the Sundance Brand Festival information,
I can present the concept.
This
page is a break
between the two sections.
It resets the thinking so the viewers know it's time to look at something new.
I
introduce the concept before showing any visuals.
Again,
use visual examples to explain your idea,
like these cave paintings and
man's impulse to tell stories.
Use
the whole screen.
I've seen too many presentations with little images and a page of text.
Here,
I walk the group through the concept and prep them for the visuals.
Robert
Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid film as storytelling.
So,
digging in, I remind them about the stories we decided to explore.
We
can recast them with our own actors rather than literal illustrations.
They become symbols and we stop wondering who someone is like a photograph.
Then
we get to color,
when everyone in their extended family has an opinion.
Sell it with proof.
Give them something dynamic and seductive,
like this beautiful Albert Bierstadt painting of an American West.
Everyone
is typically looking at a screen.
Give them something cinematic.
This
introduces the palette and the logic behind it.
It
shows how the palette relates to the imagery,
object,
and places of the subject.
It's
not arbitrary and purely subjective.
You
chose these colors to reinforce the communication.
The
viewers are probably not designers,
so a palette with CMYK,
RGB, and PMS is too technical.
Here,
I give them the palette full screen.
I
don't want to drag everyone through the entire process,
as most don't really care,
but I want to show that there was exploration.
It helps when someone says,
uh, did you try?
Seeing
some color studies reinforces your choices when you show the final version.
Show some of the process.
More
to show that you did it,
not to explain every step,
which is kind of boring if it goes on too long.
You can see I did some sketches,
and we tested color on screen and on printing.
At
this point, I explain how the forms communicate the attributes and messages we already saw and approved.
For example, the William Tell story relates to filmmaking with precision,
faith,
and courage.
The colors speak to the Western idea of Sundance and introduce the deep jewel tone of sapphire and a rich red.
This
is the part when words matter.
Brown
is not brown.
It's the color of the earth in the Utah mountains.
Blue
isn't blue.
It's
sapphire, or the color of a high-altitude sky.
You're
not tricking anyone.
You're giving them references they understand.
I
walk through the limited edition poster in the same way.
Adam
and Eve here are metaphors for temptation,
forbidden knowledge, and the struggle beyond innocence.
Paper
choices matter here, and silkscreen printing communicates the handmade and the individual.
I
can now introduce the other
myths and stories on things like the stationary system.
The
rest of the materials flesh out the concept, palette, and visuals.
I show these as a family to underscore that the palette works across many items.
After
seeing the large range of applications,
you've proven that the system works in all media.
Explain
some of the materials with more detail.
The film guide booklet uses the Trojan horse.
The dates are simple shapes that ask the viewer to do some work and identify the story and what is happening in the narrative in their head.
The
concept works with environmental graphics also.
And,
if needed, I'd show merchandise.
The
colors translate on screen in both projected form and the website.
These
examples are evidence that the concept and execution are strong enough
to be adapted to any media.
The
awards happen at the end of the festival,
so this is the last application I showed.
I
like to end a presentation with a quote or comment that backs up the concept.
Coming from someone else,
a quote gives more relevance to the idea.
Wrap
it up and ask for any comments or questions.
Now,
here are a few tips for the conversation after that have worked for me.
First,
the answer is never, ever, no,
or that won't work.
Every
comment has something behind it and deserves to be considered.
Listen
to every comment and write it down.
If I don't have an answer,
I'm honest and say, good point.
I hadn't considered that,
or I don't know,
but I can get that information to you.
Some
people in group presentations feel like they need to say something to validate their presence or job.
I listen, thank everyone for good points,
stay positive, and take notes.
You never know where a good idea or suggestion might come from.
If
you feel more comfortable taking notes on the computer, go ahead.
But maintain eye contact with the viewers.
I've
had clients respond to me
with the oddest of comments.
One client suggested that we don't do the posters,
but a 40-foot ant farm to make the words.
I know live animals are not good as signs or posters,
but I asked him why,
not how.
He liked the concept of animals making their own spaces.
Now that's something I can work with.
Rather
than live ants for signage and posters,
I could make giant
environmental graphics showing the same thing.
I'd
like to thank everyone and let them know I appreciate the hard work and collaboration and ask,
what are the next steps?