Hah that’s a great point Boogey_Man.
It goes the same way even when speaking directly with other designers.
I have noticed though, as Yo also pointed out, that team building is a huge part of our job. Since our part of the project cycle is so interdependent on marketing, prototyping, manufacturing, accounting, etc, we need to communicate clearly and quickly.
Although sketching and visual aids work most of the time, I’ve noticed that most of project management relies on simple conversation. That said, it becomes increasingly more important for designers to have a clear language about our work that will facilitate project growth as our field becomes more integrated.
A lot of cool sketches on the wall are just that until you convince someone that you’ve got an idea worth expanding on. Also, a lot of non-creatives just plain don’t care about the sketching and simply want to hear what you will make happen. It’s important to let clients know WHY a particular design is better or worse than other offerings.
Which Michael Roller article is that? I’m supposed to get a beer with him and Finn this week so I might want to take a peek!