Thanks for the lunch time read. I see new designers going through the bell curve all the time, but it becomes more striking once you begin managing a creative team, and you see from the other side what your past mistakes really look like from the client perspective.

It's the classical process of first starting out in the business with a desire to differentiate yourself, then slowly moving toward the center of what is most efficient and effective and therefore the most fair use of client-funded time.

I believe Eric might be nearing the other end of the curve, where he allows his projects to be inclusive of any toolset, including elements that less secure designers might not be able to stomach due to personal ego / fear issues of not being part of the clique.

It takes a lot of self-confidence and discipline, but in the end a quicker turnaround means bigger profits with billable jobs. Once you are successful, the hive isn't so mighty, but ironically you have naturally already become a member.

One thing Eric's post doesn't mention is that most of the designers starting out are naturally pared with clients who don't know how to choose the designer that is best suited to their needs.

Having to turn clients away is a gut-wrenching experience for a hungry, ambitious young designer. In a way that's how the work gets stratified. Knowledgeable clients gravitate towards experienced designers, while the inexperienced clients tend to vividly illustrate to new designers why pragmatic design is the survival approach.