Almost 12 months ago I started freelancing at the agency that now employs me full-time. I was brought in to do a couple of what seemed to be fairly simple tasks. One was to write a capabilities brochure--that assignment wrapped in late January. The other was to write a brand book. That piece was just delivered yesterday.
It's not atypical for an advertising assignment that should take a few months to take a dozen or more. There are more tiers in client organizations than there were in the Tower of Babel. Everybody gets a shot of input and then another and another.
There are literally scores of rounds of revisions. Scores after "final" approval.
I have no more to say other than this is work today. You have to be like a diesel engine not a jet engine. The chuggers win.
After 11 months I got my copy of the client's brand book yesterday. Yes, it was excruciating. Yes, there was too much rigamarole. Yes, there were too many stupid and capricious changes.
But you know what? You see this shit through and don't give up on the big stuff.
My brand book arrived yesterday.
It's among the best work I've ever produced.
4 comments:
Congrats, George.
That's a wonderful feeling when you finally reach the end of the marathon.
(And find you're still as fine a runner as the young bucks!!)
Regards,
Kelly
Oh, Kelly, the young don't have the stamina. They are 140 characters in a long-form world.
Congratulations! Its intriguing to hear so much about the industry (especially the way it is in New York).
Congrats again!
-Olivia
LOL, George. And a running post as a follow-up. Nicely done. :)
I had a prof, long...
long ago
....
when computers were just poised to take over the world. He used to say to heck with learning a gadget, pay someone to use the gadget for you. Gadget-users are cheap. Brain-users who can envision the end from crazy client directives and crazier "project milestones," and make it happen through sheer determination and arrogance are priceless.
Thank goodness for brain-users.
Until later,
Kelly
Post a Comment