First, is worst.

A group of team members at M3 have recently become something just shy of obsessed with the Web site Clients From Hell. The site is tragic, hilarious, painstakingly true and reflects the plight of designers and Web developers the world over.

There wasn’t a single post I couldn’t sympathize with. Well, that was until last Friday when this “client from hell” was posted:

“Hate it. Try again.”

At first read, yes, this is never something an agency likes to hear. But anyone on the inside will tell you, agencies that produce award-winning design pay creative directors to replay this prerecorded phrase to lowly design monkeys over and over. The best design and art instructors I ever had would tell me this time and again, pushing me to move past my first, second, third idea.

Great designers know the first idea/concept/design is never the best. (Sometimes the 27th isn’t even that great.) To express this point further, please enjoy a short list of other things that aren’t so great the first time, but get better as you push yourself to move past the bad parts:

1. First day on the job
2. First French kiss
3. Trying wine/beer/alcohol
4. First time you get behind the wheel (some never really get better)
5. First day of school/class
6. Preparing a new recipe (some of these never really get better, either)
7. Anything athletic
8. Wearing a new pair of heels
9. Dancing
10. Public speaking
11. Riding the CATA, figuring out public transportation in general
12. Playing a video or arcade game, (specifically DDR, for Justin)
13. Anything to do with hand-eye coordination
14. Learning to read
15. What to tweet when you first set up your account
16. Becoming bilingual
17. Pulling off a good prank
18. Making coffee
19. Remembering to feed your pet, (specifically Emily and her cat)
20. Grand theft auto

(You really only get one chance at the last one; if you’re not good enough to pull it off you don’t stand much of a chance to try it a second time.)

Essentially, everything we attempt to do in life gets better as we invest ourselves into that particular thing. The difference between life experiences and idea/design generation is the degree to which we push ourselves. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s a lot easier to run with our mediocre ideas that took 15 minutes to conceptualize than spend another 45 and produce something outstanding.

So, if only for today, push yourself to redesign, rethink, reinvent; see what your ideas and designs are capable of achieving. Chances are, it will be more brilliant than what you started with. And when you show to the higher-ups, I hope they say, “Hate it. Try again.” You will be better because of it.