Around 2:00 one afternoon, the water in our building was turned off. In fact, the water in the surrounding area had been choked off due to a water main break. This was a bit of an issue because the agency had a HUGE presentation the next day and the team would be walking out the door at 5:00 p.m., creative in hand, to catch a plane.

What was necessary to finalize the creative was something the industry once used called a “velox.” Processing veloxes required photo chemicals and after being developed, they had to be rinsed in water or the chemicals would destroy the paper.

We had three hours, THREE HOURS to do something that was absolutely impossible. (Note that these were the years prior to the omnipresent bottled water.) As the production staff stood together wracking our brains trying to figure out a workaround, we came to the inevitable conclusion: there was no workaround.

I was elected to deliver the news to Frank, the Senior Creative Director, probably because I was wearing the tightest jeans that day. I stood in front of  Frank’s desk and explained our quandary. Frank’s face was a perfect shade of PMS 485 when he looked over his glasses and in an almost imperceptible whisper said “GET. IT. DONE.“

Ok then. As I dragged my trembling self back to my circle of team members, an idea sprung to mind. As unappealing, as unhealthy, as unholy as it was, there was water somewhere. And that somewhere was in the many toilets on every single floor of the building. There was our “solution”. A disturbing solution, but a solution no less.

We began producing the veloxes when quite obviously by Divine intervention, we received a call. The water was back on. Disaster averted.

I recalled the event because it’s not much different today. In our industry, the truly dedicated will do whatever it takes to get the job done. We honestly do. And we do what we do because for some reason, this business is in our blood.

It’s difficult for those of us with years of experience to see that with the advent of the computer, anyone can claim to be a designer. But owning a computer, layout software and a few fonts makes one a designer about as much as owning a sharp knife makes one a doctor.

My point is this. Find a designer or a firm you like to work with, someone whose style fits the product you’re marketing, someone you trust then build a relationship. If you love what they produce, let them know. They’ll go to lengths you’d never imagine to “get it done.”