Teamwork in the design process: An interview with Timo Meyer

Illustration rarely happens in isolation. In editorial and communication design in particular, it is often part of a collaborative design process in which ideas are developed through dialogue with editors, art directors and clients. Timo Meyer provides insights into his working methods and explains how initial thoughts, discussions and sketches are transformed step by step into a clear visual solution.

Timo, in addition to corporate clients, you also regularly deal with newspaper and magazine editors. What challenges do you face in this area?

Developing an idea in a relatively short period of time – requests in this area are usually quite short-term – sometimes with very complex content. You have to get to the point quickly and come up with something that doesn't exist in a vacuum, but has to work in the context of an article.

What's appealing about that?

On the one hand, there's the nice idea that your own work complements and supports the work of another creative person, namely the journalist. On the other hand, it's always exciting when illustrations and text not only interact and interweave in terms of content, but also visually.

Among other things, you have brought two projects with you that illustrate this last point. Can you tell us a little bit about them?

Both examples shown here are from the Sunday edition of the FAZ and, according to the briefing, were not intended to be purely decorative graphics, but rather to address as many of the article's core themes as possible. In the example on the topic of property management, my illustration connects the points mentioned in the interview to form a frame that encloses the text. In the other case, on AI in medicine, the graphic follows the topics of the article in a continuous trail across two double pages. It accompanies the reader not only in terms of content, but also graphically.

That sounds like it requires a lot of coordination. How do projects like this usually work?

As with any project, you start with the theme and the rough boundaries of the layout within which the graphics have to fit. Then you bounce ideas back and forth and explore what's possible together with the art direction team. For projects like these, close collaboration with the AD is even more important than usual. And it requires a certain level of trust between both sides, where they have to empathise with each other's roles even more than usual. It is precisely this teamwork that ultimately leads to well-rounded results and, incidentally, is not possible with AI.

What are some typical points where clients only realise what they actually need during the conversation? How do you get that out of the briefing?

Clients often have a very precise idea of what message they want to convey, but no idea of how. When I work with them to develop the how, the message and what they actually need usually becomes clearer.

The briefing is usually followed by the concept. Why is a conceptual basis important?

It gives both sides an idea of the end product. The concept is like a foundation on which the project can be built. It ensures that I don’t go off in the wrong direction and gives me the confidence that the client’s vision and my own will still be aligned even several hours down the line.

That sounds like there’s little room for manoeuvre.

That is precisely the challenge. On the one hand, given tight deadlines, it is not feasible to simply work blindly. On the other hand, one must also remain flexible enough in case the circumstances change. Maintaining precisely this balance is only possible through close communication with the art director, through teamwork.

How exactly do you kick off the initial phase of a project on your end?

With sketches. These need to convey the basic visual idea. The art direction and editorial teams need to get a good idea of the message and mood that the illustration is intended to convey. My sketches are usually black and white and quite rough. But the central message has to come across so that there are no misunderstandings later on.

How do you specifically relieve the art direction and editorial teams in the process?

Through suggestions that result from my purely visual approach. I am like a reader who sees the text for the first time and develops images and ideas in my head. These then flow into the suggestions, which I discuss with the art director.

What are the most common pitfalls in the editorial section, and how can you avoid them?

Sometimes only preliminary texts or drafts are available when work begins. When everything has to be done quickly, I can't wait for the final articles and have to work with what I have. It can happen that the text and title change so much that they no longer fit the original draft. To prevent this, I always try to get the most up-to-date texts or, if that is not possible, to visually highlight the core elements of the article that are unlikely to change during the writing process.

What is a no-go for you because it looks nice but detracts from the article?

When text and images don't complement each other but compete with each other, fighting for the reader's attention in terms of content and visuals. Not only is this stressful to look at, but it's also a waste of creative energy, which should actually be used to enhance the effect and impression of the unity between text and images. Both can have the same message or show different facets of the topic, but they should not work against each other.

If you could give clients three specific tips on how to improve editorial briefings so that illustrations have more impact, what would they be?

Okay, first, second and third: clear communication.