Everything you ever wanted to know about revisions

John Potter - Artist, Illustrator, Designer

Project in progress Illustrated Resort Map

Revisions are the bulk of my work. Most of my projects have over thirty revisions; some get close to sixty. That's a lot of hours of labor, and I find it a bit disturbing that more work is going into changes than creation. For contrast the industry standards is one to three revisions.

I would define a revision as a change, update, or correction not specifically covered in the original quote like changes to how the image looks, or to text and graphics. The word itself sounds dismissive, as if revisions are less work than the initial work. In truth, that's seldom the case.

Why revisions balloon

A lot of it comes down to how projects get delegated. Many of the people I work with are middle managers who've been handed a project by upper management. Upper management makes the decisions, but doesn't want to be bothered… They want the manager to show up with a finished product, and then they'll make changes. That's not a good way to build a house, a car, a map, or any other project. I don't have an answer for these unfortunate individuals; I feel for them. But it explains a great deal of the revision volume I see.

The other common cause is simpler: a client doesn't decide what they want ahead of time. I see this often with very busy managers who just want the problem to go away. They provide too little guidance at the start, then regret it around the time I'm finishing. A brief, frank discussion at the outset like an email is fine and it can prevent most of it. If you aren't clear about what you want, you can't complain about what you get. Even with a busy schedule, that conversation is time well spent.

Project in progressresort marina map

How I receive revisions

I may receive revisions during the creation process or after it. I supply frequent, usually daily updates, and I strongly encourage clients to request changes during the creation phase rather than waiting. Waiting until I'm done is like ordering in a restaurant and changing your mind when the food arrives: inefficient, and frankly disrespectful of the work. Once a project is complete, I still expect some text changes, and frequently there are minor updates like adding logos or something that couldn't have been anticipated before seeing the finished project.

Timelapse work on the muralmural

What goes wrong

Changes only at completion. With illustration in particular, this can mean starting over from scratch. At the very least it drags the process out longer than necessary. The fix is simple: really look at my frequent updates and provide frank feedback as you go.

Designing as we go. This is the worst case.. trying to sort out what the client wants while I'm building it. I won't consent to work this way, but sometimes it creeps up on me. If I realize partway through that the client doesn't know what they want, I'll stop all work until we have a sense of direction. It's the only way to avoid building the wrong thing twice.

Refining a finished project. This one is legitimate, and I want to distinguish it from the two above. Wanting your project as good as it can be is to be applauded. Some of that refinement could be worked out earlier rather than at the end, but I always appreciate a push for excellence.

Changing circumstances. Also legitimate, and common with boat show maps — sponsors sign up at the last minute, something else changes. I'd obviously prefer to get it right the first time around, but I understand.

Avoiding revision problems

  • Discuss what you want beforehand.
  • Have examples we can both refer to.
  • Look at my frequent updates and provide feedback if you have it.
  • Consolidate your thoughts and requests into a list and send it by email. When you commit your thoughts to writing, it frequently becomes clearer what you're trying to do.
  • If you find yourself contacting me multiple times a day, reexamine your process because something isn't working.
  • If you need me to rush, reexamine your process because something isn't working.

Revising Other People’s Work

This is something I generally avoid, but if you find yourself in some unique situation where your original artist, illustrator or designer is unavailable or something contact me and I will take a look at your situation.

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