When you think of the government, you probably don’t think of great design. But one company is looking to change that. In fact, it’s looking to disrupt the current definition of design, with a new infusion of ideas and tools – along with the people to make it happen.
“We’re creating the Pixar of design for the government,” said Lee Andrese, Vice President of Federal at Aquent.
Aquent is a high-end marketing and design solutions firm. The company includes Aquent Staffing and Aquent Studios. Depending upon the needs of the company, Aquent can provide the high-end professionals to work on site to get the job done, or manage a project from start to finish at one of their studio locations. They’ve been working with federal government clients for over a decade, but a new opportunity in the Intelligence Community means a new need for extraordinary cleared designers.
“Within government, there are pockets of good design,” said Andrese. “And pockets of really bad design. Unfortunately, a lot of the work that’s being done – especially in the cleared space – isn’t being done by formally trained designers. Worse yet, there are highly skilled and trained designers that are restricted in the type of design they can deliver. It’s the latter that have the ability to change design in government.”
Within the past year, however, Aquent has begun working with a design leader within the Intelligence Community who’s made great strides to change design in government and wants to expand this initiative – with Aquent’s help.
“She’s re-defining good design within her agency,” said Andrese. “And agrees that we need to change design in government to reflect the user, and not necessarily the customer’s design preferences.”
Andrese noted that government design usually starts with a program manager – not with a user in mind. Without design professionals to guide the conversation, a lot of money may be wasted on design that doesn’t meet the objective. Aquent takes complex content and produces easily digestible, engaging, and easy-to-use print and digital products that encourages audience participation and reaction, said Andrese.
DESIGNING DOLLARS
You might wonder – how important is design to the government and Intelligence Community, anyway? Whether you’re a clearance holder or taxpayer, the answer is clear – design matters. The government spends millions of dollars each year on printing costs, alone. Add in all the print, digital and video products associated with marketing, outreach, recruiting and communications campaigns, and the many other buckets that fall under the design umbrella, and you’re looking at a multi-billion dollar marketplace – that’s currently often staffed by professionals who may not have a background in design at all. That’s why Aquent is hoping it can flip the current model on its head, and bring its 30 years of commercial sector success into the government space.
“The beauty of working with Aquent is that it allows for maximum scalability and flexibility,” noted Andrese. “That is the secret sauce. We’re cutting their costs by offering a variety of ways of working with talented, professional designers who are delivering superior results.”
NOW HIRING – CLEARED DESIGNERS
Interested yet? If you want to be a part of the new Pixar for government, you have to have the skills.
“Having a clearance doesn’t make you a good designer, delivering good design that speaks to results makes you a good designer,” said Andrese, who mentioned that out of the 400 resumes they’ve searched, only 10 designers have even been considered. Of those 10, only five are a part of the team today.
One of the keys to Aquent’s hiring process is its multi-faceted interviews. Don’t expect the standard ‘what’s the biggest mistake you’ve made on the job…’ questions. The selection process at Aquent includes a business, technical and portfolio interview. So you need to be prepared to show them what you’ve got – literally. Once you’ve made it through the recruiting team, you also have to impress the program manager. The upside? If you make the cut, you’ll be among the first leading and building a new definition of “good design” within the government. A brand Andrese hopes to make as strong as Apple – only within the Intelligence Community.
Aquent is looking to hire designers who may already be working in government – but who see a vision beyond their current workplace.
“It’s these designers that have a dream,” said Andrese. “Government designers or contractors who say, ‘I want to change my portfolio. I want to up the ante.’ Who don’t think the customer is always right.” Aquent is looking for designers who will help the customer and program manager articulate good design when they don’t know what that looks like, said Andrese.
“I want to elevate the professional designer within the government,” she noted.
If you’re looking to work for a company with that kind focus – and you have an active federal clearance – apply here.
