To my mind, every creative project has an optimum number of people who need to be involved. That number can vary depending in the size of the task in hand, but it’s always there. Economists will tell you about the business sweet spot, i.e. the optimal balance between cost and benefits, but there’s also a creative sweet spot.
Too few people, or too few ‘eyes’ being cast over a project can mean not all creative avenues are properly explored. We all see the world differently, and as such different pairs of eyes see different possibilities.
Too many people, and the genuine creative and innovative possibilities run the risk of being debated away. It it’s the dreaded committee situation, that’ll be a near certainty, when they all collectively lose their nerve.
There’s been many times when I’ve produced something that both myself and the project leader/editor are really happy with. Then comes the line ‘…I’ll just pass it around the office for comment.’. Ah well, that was nice while it lasted!
To avoid groundhog day, always aim for the optimum number of eyes that oversee a project.
Comments