Iso 9000 and Tqm in Graphic Design
The Roles of Total Quality Management and ISO 9000 in Graphic Design
ITT Technical University
Ley Fatzinger
February, 18 2012
Introduction Graphic design is a profession in which artistic creativity and stylization seem to be the main key factors for a successful career. In most cases this is true and quality management (TQM) or ISO 9000 aren’t needed to complete the core tasks of a graphic designer. On the other hand there are things that go into the process that requires more than artistic talent and skill. In her article Sally Foster states “A graphic designer may work in a variety of fields—website design, advertising, product development, logo design, even sign making.” (Foster, 2003). This means that most of a graphic designer’s work is for the benefit of a client or customer, which also means that a graphic designer must sometimes adhere to policies and procedures that may not be their own. Now this is where the concepts of TQM and ISO appear in the world of graphic design, only I don’t believe it’s one or the other, it’s a mix of both.
TQM and the Graphic Designer “Total Quality Management is a philosophy that is designed to make an organization faster, flexible, focused, and friendly—leads to a structured system that focuses each employee on the customer.” (Hoffher, Moran, and Nadler, 1994, p. 13). For a graphic designer, sometimes they are the only employee, the customer is the client or benefactor of the graphic designer’s work and the ultimately the focus of the project. Making sure the clients get exactly what they want to their specifications is top priority. These specifications could be anywhere from a certain shade of red, a specific font, or sometimes it’s completely up to the designer and their artistic vision. Sometimes a graphic designer works on a job-by job basis, The TQM strategy will then vary from organization to organization (ASQ, n.d.) making the TQM strategy a perfect way to shift and be flexible to the unique needs of
ITT Technical University
Ley Fatzinger
February, 18 2012
Introduction Graphic design is a profession in which artistic creativity and stylization seem to be the main key factors for a successful career. In most cases this is true and quality management (TQM) or ISO 9000 aren’t needed to complete the core tasks of a graphic designer. On the other hand there are things that go into the process that requires more than artistic talent and skill. In her article Sally Foster states “A graphic designer may work in a variety of fields—website design, advertising, product development, logo design, even sign making.” (Foster, 2003). This means that most of a graphic designer’s work is for the benefit of a client or customer, which also means that a graphic designer must sometimes adhere to policies and procedures that may not be their own. Now this is where the concepts of TQM and ISO appear in the world of graphic design, only I don’t believe it’s one or the other, it’s a mix of both.
TQM and the Graphic Designer “Total Quality Management is a philosophy that is designed to make an organization faster, flexible, focused, and friendly—leads to a structured system that focuses each employee on the customer.” (Hoffher, Moran, and Nadler, 1994, p. 13). For a graphic designer, sometimes they are the only employee, the customer is the client or benefactor of the graphic designer’s work and the ultimately the focus of the project. Making sure the clients get exactly what they want to their specifications is top priority. These specifications could be anywhere from a certain shade of red, a specific font, or sometimes it’s completely up to the designer and their artistic vision. Sometimes a graphic designer works on a job-by job basis, The TQM strategy will then vary from organization to organization (ASQ, n.d.) making the TQM strategy a perfect way to shift and be flexible to the unique needs of
Cited: Foster, Sally . "What Is a Graphic Designer?." wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-graphic-designer.htm>. Hoffherr, Glen D. , John W. Moran, and Gerald Nadler. "Total Quality Mannagement Overview." Breakthrough Thinking in Total Quality Management . Englewoods Cliffs: Electronic & Database Publishing, Inc, 1994. 13. Print. "ISO 9000 quality management - ISO." ISO - International Organization for Standardization. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000>. Miller, Eric . "Digital Printing - The Definition of Digital Printing." About Graphic Design - Graphic Design Tutorials, Tips and Career Advice from About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/printproductionglossary/g/digital_print.htm>. Niccum, Doug . "Why you should have an in-house graphic designer | Gears Of Biz." Gears Of Biz - The Business Technology Information Hub. N.p., 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://gearsofbiz.com/all/why-you-should-have-an-in-house-graphic-designer/>. "Total Quality Management (TQM) - ASQ." ASQ: The Global Voice of Quality. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/total-quality-management/overview/implementing-tqm.html>.