Best left in the Jurassic period

By Deborah Mazoudier, Founder & Principal Tender Specialist

I was involved in a bid in early 2021 and a graduate said a document was ready for my team to make it “pretty”.

He had obviously heard this recurring phrase from a T-Rex or Cryolophosaurus that he had encountered in the office at some stage and decided if it was good enough for the dinosaur it was good enough for him.

Well, I firmly corrected his misconception!

The role of a Graphic Designer and / or a proposal professional is to present the substance of a tender in the most inviting, enticing and compelling way possible.

This includes but is in no way limited to:

• make strategy immediately obvious

• present the solution so it can be clearly understood

• translate complex technical information into something readily accessible

• create space, light and texture in a document to make it more readable (or even enjoyable)

• use visual devices to evoke the senses and convince the reader

• communicate the “absolutes” of the solution or offer readily.

And the list goes on.

The fact is, I am a wordsmith. I am constantly in awe of those more visually creative than me. I really find it unfathomable why some dinosaurs continue to belittle (subconsciously or deliberately) the role that Graphic Design and Graphic Designers play in a winning bid.

So, let’s leave “making it pretty” back in the Jurassic period, shall we!