Design is the art of compromise. Great design is a perfect balance between the needs of stakeholders and available resources of time and materials. Design is born of the need to make tough decisions about what to leave in and what to leave out. When it is done right, design is a collaborative process. Some call such a process 'participatory'.
Good design is hard to come by because it's difficult. Navigating a collaborative effort through contrasting opinions and perspectives is not often an easy task. That is why Violet puts the spotlight on the collaboration itself. Our belief is that if you focus first on the people involved, and on fostering a positive collaborative environment, then the best design will come to the surface. This means following a few guidelines:
1. Listen carefully to our clients; make "their" problems "ours".
2. Allow the collaboration with our clients to take us to new places and avoid preconceived solutions.
3. Disagreement arises when people care. Expect and welcome disagreement as an essential part of creating great solutions.
4. Encourage the contribution of others. They can see things that we cannot.
5. Share what you have learned.
These guidelines set the stage for effective design to take place. If we focus on maintaining a positive, collaborative environment, we allow ourselves to capitalize on the the collective strengths of the group - resulting in better design solutions.
We would very much like to work with you.
