The Left-Brained Designer

I’m sure you’ve heard about “Right-Brain” vs. “Left-Brain” thinking and learning. Most folks are dominant with one side or the other, but no one is totally left-brain or totally right-brained. Those who are right-brain dominant tend to focus on images and patterns, are intuitive, and are more likely to free-associate to make connections or lists. Those who are left-brain dominant tend to focus on words, are analytical, detailed and are likely to make logical deductions to accumulate information.

In tackling projects, right-brainers can visualize the whole project completed in their minds before they begin choosing the elements to build it, processing many ideas simultaneously. Left-brainers, on the other hand, process ideas sequentially, step by step, focusing on the details with a high degree of organization.

So, Am I Right-Brained, or Left-Brained?

Artists and creatives are commonly assumed to belong to the right-brain group, and probably most are. But not me. I tend to be left-brain dominant. I come from a family of scientists and engineers, and it rubbed off. Although I hold a graduate degree in design, and spent several years teaching design, I was always highly organized and sequential. Then I earned a computer programming certificate, and the logic of programming made perfect sense to me.

These days, when I work on graphic design projects, I can provide my clients with much more than a pretty final product. I can operate within deadlines that match their corporate schedules. I care about functionalities and processes, and I plan ahead for them. And, as I have a technical background, my most ideal clients are those in high-tech industries, because I think much like them.

How about you? If you’ve been skittish about hiring an “artistic type” because that doesn’t match your own style, look harder. Not all designers are right-brain dominant, and they do great work. Give me a call and let’s talk. You may be surprised at how creative a left-brainer can be!

Hiding Your Light Under a Bushel

What's the title mean? I first heard that phrase in Sunday School. It means don’t be bashful about your skills and talents, but display them to the world.

How does that apply to my message today?

Many professionals have more than one particular business skill or service they offer their customers, often several. But the main ones are the ones they emphasize and advertise the most. They are the ones their customers think of first. And after a while, the emphasis on those special skills overshadows other skills and services the business may offer, to the point they may be either hidden or forgotten. Perhaps the business sees certain skills as their strengths, or the ones most in demand, or their biggest money-makers. After all, a business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is what sets them apart from their competition and they want to highlight those differences, to put themselves ahead of their competitors in their prospect’s minds.

After a while, a pattern of using or offering or spotlighting certain skills—to the exclusion of other skills—may emerge. It’s easy to forget those other skills, and after all, why mess with success?

I believe that from time to time, you should remind your customers and prospects of the other skills you can provide. You don’t have to hit them over the head with this, but casual conversation sometimes opens opportunities to mention other services. For example, my contacts know I specialize in design for direct mail, web sites, and newsletters. The other day at a networking meeting I mentioned I can also do the designs for catalogs, and within minutes I had a referral from a friend who had a side business with her family that could use my expertise. I had planted a seed, and she responded.

So, don’t hide your light under a bushel—let it out and let it be seen. It can lead you in new directions!