Feb 8, 2010

Fast, Good and Cheap

In a previous life I worked at one of the best ad agencies in the Bay Area. It wasn't quite Mad Men, but we did have our Friday open bar, our eccentric namesake, and our brilliant but misunderstood creatives — who gave me some pearls of wisdom that resonate to this day.Perhaps the most impactful was a simple graphic on an art director's door: a triangle with the words "fast," "good" and "cheap" at its points, anchored by the admonition "Pick Two."

I've come across this concept a few times since, so I don't think it was Kathy's invention. But at the time, it hit me like a lightning bolt: Anything is possible, and everything has a price.

Landscape designers, architects and contractors confront this triangle a lot. Especially this time of year, when folks remember they wanted a new back yard for the kids to play in this summer. They call me, full of optimism and good ideas… and their disappointment is audible when they realize I can't start on their landscape design immediately, or that the consultations I can offer in the next few weeks (to get them off to a roaring start with a landscape contractor now) actually cost money.

Is the problem that we live in an age of instant gratification and commoditized services? The internet has made seemingly all things available to all people, and often for free: want a book tomorrow, without the inconvenience of driving to your local bookstore? Amazon does that. Want to try on shoes, without having to drive to the store or pay to receive or return them? Zappos has you covered.

But landscape designers and contractors aren't retailers. Our work isn't a commodity that can be comparison-shopped. Sure, the local gardener can advertise design services just as legitimately as I can (though there might be vast differences in our training), and probably get to your project a lot sooner. He probably costs a lot less, too. But would he and I give you the same artfulness in our designs, the same thorough process, the same attention to detail from beginning to end? "Fast and cheap" still carries a cost.

My neighbor, who is incredibly nice, smart, and well-intentioned, took it upon himself around Hallowe'en to rebuild his front irrigation system. I remember the skeleton bones he poked out of the trenches; great effect. But now, some three months later, he's just finishing the project (although still sans plants). Is his labor cheap? Definitely. Good? Probably. Fast? Not so much.

Fast & Cheap
(the graphics, not the ideas)
At different times, I'm different legs of the triangle. My clients will tell you I'm pretty good. And depending on the circumstances, I can be relatively cheap, or pretty fast (as those Landscape Smart episodes attest). I'm not immune to mistakes, especially when I try to cram too much work into too little time; that's when "good" gives way to "fast." The only way to reclaim "good" is to put in more hours, usually in the middle of the night, and there goes "cheap."

I've worked with all types of clients. Some are willing to sacrifice "good" in the name of "fast and cheap." They're the ones hiring unlicensed contractors who don't bond their projects or pay worker's comp insurance. These aren't my ideal clientele, because there's no assurance the project will turn out well, and no real recourse if it doesn't. My favorite clientele are the ones who choose "good", and realize that choice includes a tug-of-war between "cheap" and "fast."

I've built my business, and my reputation, on providing "good" (well, actually, "great"). So that leaves either "cheap" or "fast." I'm happy to be either. I just can't be both.

8 comments:

KatePresents said...

I love this! As a fellow designer, I am right there with you. What a wonderfully simple diagram for an issue I also deal with every day, and have never quite figured out how to explain.

Keep up the great blog- I love it!

John said...

Kate, I've seen your work and you've definitely nailed the "good"! Glad I could help bring things into focus.

Katie Hutchison said...

Hey John,

I've seen a similar triangle in the architecture field. We put Quality up at the top and Quantity at one corner and $ at the other. So quality you can afford means less quantity. It's interesting to see time in your equation.

Your comments about local gardeners offering design services without equivalent design training rings true in the architecture field too. I wrote about it in my "Letter from the architect" http://www.katiehutchison.com/letter-from-the-architect/.

It's striking how similar the design professions are. I imagine graphic designers would have similar thoughts on the "triangle".

John said...

Katie, I've never seen the Quality-Quantity-Cost triad before. I like it a lot — not least because there are so many factors beyond our control in the design process which can undermine our best intentions of being "fast."

Speaking of design process, I'm not sure I've ever seen such an approachable description as yours. In both our fields there are differences between the design process of someone licensed (who can provide full construction documentation) and unlicensed (who can't), and yours is a terrific primer for the homeowner wanting to understand the difference.

Living wall artist said...

Very well put! I keep those ideas in my head.. but seeing a diagram of good, fast and cheap laid out.. it really does make sense. You can only pick two.

John said...

Gavin, some days I consider myself lucky to get 1... ;-) Thanks for writing in!

Anonymous said...

Hi John! I found your blog through my stats page---and discovered you have me on your blogroll. What an honor! I'm going to put you on both of my blogs (http://www.gardenmuse.wordpress.com and my main blog, http://www.cindydyer.wordpress.com).

Love your site...full of great gardening and landscaping tips! I'd love to interview you for my blogs, if you're interested in being profiled!

Cheers!

Cindy

John said...

Cindy, thanks! I head over to your blog any time I need a hit of gorgeousness.

I'm much less of a gardener than a designer, but if you think I might have anything to say worth reading I'm happy to go on...