You’re midway through a haircut when the stylist abruptly stops, the chilling image of an unfinished portrait staring back at you in the mirror.
There’s no cause for alarm, you reassure yourself. Just a work of art that isn’t yet complete. The dulcet tones of the ambient stereo system bring you comfort until you hear the faint sounds of a keyboard clacking, your uneven pompadour helplessly in need.
Does this scenario make you anxious? Would you rather your barber leave that email until after they’re finished sheering?
According to Kora Kopieniak, senior graphic designer at Camelot Illinois, a similar separation between creative and administrative tasks is crucial when maximizing the potential of burgeoning design teams.
“Once a designer is taken out of the design space and put into balancing both disciplines — creative work in addition to administrative work like content or social media management — the focus is no longer on creating the best work possible,” Kopieniak said. “Could you imagine your hair stylist leaving you several times while cutting your hair to worry about something unrelated?”
For young startups in particular, supporting designers with ample time free of distractions goes a long way toward hitting ambitious goals. That’s why Built In Chicago connected with Kopieniak to gain insight into her design team’s growth journey.
When design teams have limited resources, team members are often asked to wear multiple hats. Which hats go best together and which don’t mix well?
Sketching mixes well with every skill. It’s the most versatile part of any design outfit. UX designer? Sketch out your flow. Social designer? Sketch out your post. Animator? Sketch out your storyboard. I think of sketching as more of an undergarment than a hat because no matter who you are in the creative space, sketching a concept out can be the buy-in to an idea or even a guideline to your vision being executed.
How do you structure a small design team for business success without burning everyone out?
It’s not a pizza party, let me tell you that. Burnout is inevitable when the goal of a company is year-over-year growth. It’s important to recognize that the only true way to avoid burnout is by having a large enough team where you can cycle projects between members and also have downtime for personal and career growth. On a small team, hiring a freelancer to help share the workload has helped Camelot Illinois avoid overworking team members during heavy project months. I also encourage a full disconnect when work is over. It is so important to leave work at work when you are done for the day. I promise, it can wait until tomorrow.
It’s not a pizza party, let me tell you that.”
Beyond organizational structure, what are your go-to best practices for boosting efficiency on a small design team?
If possible, share your work with other team members. It doesn’t matter if you are a junior designer or a creative director, sharing your work before it’s final can be the difference between a good piece of work and a great piece of work. Our company uses Slack to communicate when we are not in a communal space, and we keep several forums going with inspiration, quick tutorials and, of course, memes to help boost creativity. Also, none of us are made to work nonstop and encouraging people to take time for themselves is crucial for sanity and, in the long run, efficiency.
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