I was reading a statistic recently that stated that the freelance community of graphic designers would more than double in 2010. This means a lot more talent, wit, management, etc. Will be entering the arena and competing for the same work.

It will also mean that designers will be focused on creating compelling work. Now don’t get me wrong. I love shiny portfolio’s with lots of glossy images. I spend more time than I’d like to admit just browsing through them… The problem I see occurring as I collaborate with more creatives is too much focus on the product. They want to create amazing work. But they also want it fast and they need to make money. Almost as if putting out lots of work will bring customers from all over the globe.

In the mean time they do a terrible job of communicating with their team (designers, developers, etc) and worst of all, their clients. They take on too much, they don’t share work well, and when it comes down to a great experience they end up pushing lofty ideas withouth proper resources. In the end everyone is stressed out because the focus was the project, not the process.

Great process always trumps a great project over the long haul. If you focus on making the creative process one of continous exploration & clear communication it helps everyone get on board and share. We have too many great ideas getting killed because we miss the gold along the way.