I hope you’re having a stress-free week.
Let me tell you why.
-By Monica Seaberry
One of our clients was given an overwhelming task. The job was to create 22 complicated organizational charts from company personnel data, make them color coded, add style sheets, and put them into one presentation in a relatively short period of time. Our client did what any capable manager would do. She handed the job to her staff member, who courageously decided to tackle the project using Adobe InDesign.
Adobe software applications are extremely layered and learning how to use them is like learning a new language. It wasn’t long before our client’s staff member became ill from looking at his computer screen too long as he figured out the ins and outs of the software. He actually had to take several days off. It's a real condition known as cybersickness, a technologically induced version of motion sickness.
With one man down, the enormous org chart job fell back into our client’s lap, who also attempted to learn to use InDesign. Our client became stressed out. Her blood pressure went up so high that she had to go to the hospital.
It takes years to become an expert in design. It only takes hours to overtax your brain and end up pushed to the limit, sometimes to the point of physical exhaustion. Our client was soon aware that tough assignments are best handled by the experts. Adobe Creative Suite is the industry standard for top design firms. Most designers, like those on our staff have been using Adobe software for decades, so a complex job like this comes rather naturally to us. When our client called, we were able to complete the job. We have to admire their spirit though. They made quite an effort, but it also cost them a lot of time off.
The moral of the story — don't end up in the hospital. Take a deep breath, and call the experts.
--Monica is President at Seaberry Design