Chia Kwa: Learn How to Talk to the Suits
Freelance Senior Visual Designer
by Elizabeth Lavis
|14 Mar 2024
.png&w=3840&q=75)
Chia Kwa wears many hats, including Freelance Designer and Dream Translator, and loves the flexibility and variety of different clients and projects that come with the job. “I’ve worked for organizations of all shapes and sizes, from boozy ad agencies to scrappy startups and non-profit organizations to legacy companies with subsidiaries and cubicles,” they say. “Every team I join has a different dynamic and workflow.”
The biggest piece of advice that’s helped them on their design journey is to “learn how to talk to the suits.” In Kwa’s experience, the business folks make the final decisions, including increasing the budget and approving projects. “Learning to speak their language will allow you to communicate the value of a good design in a way that they understand and, ideally, will champion with you,” they say.
In terms of design, Kwa’s philosophy hinges on digging deeper and finding hidden system connections that underpin the client’s space. “I like to look for what’s going on, whether that’s in the product or service’s competitive landscape, the local or international regulations, or the community of people working on it or buying it,” they say. Doing so will yield you a design that’s both unique and undeniably instrumental to the client’s aims and vision.
"Trojan Condoms Website Redesign", Chia Kwa
Kwa grew up in Vietnam and Singapore and spent a substantial part of their childhood traveling. “I’ve seen so many different perspectives on what ‘good’ and ‘understandable’ are that I do not believe in one single ideal,” they say. “I love the plurality of vernacular design choices that untrained laypeople choose for themselves. That messiness reflects the reality of their organizations’ hopes and dreams more than any of the slick, professional work a trained practitioner would make for them.” Kwa believes in diversifying your wellspring of inspiration, and getting down to the brass tacks of what the consumers actually are moved by and want.
Their design approach is systematic and research-based. “All projects start with as much research as the project timeline allows,” they say. “I do external research on the competitive landscape and any technological, geographical, seasonal, and cultural factors that might apply. I do internal research on the organization, its history, and strategic future.” Only after Kwa has a handle on what they’re dealing with do they begin the first steps on the design, working with a high-level conceptual view and drilling down. “The last stage is user testing and revision,” they say.
Kwa loves strategy, using it as foundational support and guardrails that keep their creative process in line. “This ensures that the final designs will have a real impact,” they say. “Strategy has to come earlier in the process. Once I fully absorb the business realities and campaign objectives, it’s easy to let the creative brain generate a gazillion crazy ideas that are firmly aimed at a targeted outcome.” The goal is to execute an effective time that works with the client’s budget and timeline and firmly addresses their needs.
Submit your work for Indigo Design Award competition
