I'm pretty sure it was a Scott Adams quote- or maybe even a Dogbert cartoon- that set for a mantra I have lived by for years.
"Nothing is less efficient that a group of people trying to write a sentence."
It was a commentary on Mission Statements and group writing in general. But it's something I've applied to many aspects of creativity and design with great results.
Teams are important for consensus. But consensus is always the result of compromise. And when it comes to good design, the earlier you compromise, the worse result you get.
Instagram had a team of people work 9 months to create it's new app icon. The original took one guy 45 minutes.
The overwhelming response- including mine- is that the new version is gaudy, poorly colored, and too minimalistic. In short, too far from the brand.
This is the result of team design. A result that's been met with compromise at every level. I imagine hours of debate about the background gradients; hours of in-fights about the shape of the camera corners. Until finally they all got tired of fighting and gave up and said "good enough." Team design is never about getting the best results- it's about who can endure the debate long enough to win. It's the design equivalent of "last one touching the car" contest.
And then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is this.
This is one guy, Michael Flarup, in one night. Doing amazing work that's both modern and true to the brand. Maybe it's not your favorite or quite to your tastes, but it's better than what got done.
When it comes to design, teams are best at review; not creation. As Henry Ford used to say, "If I'd have asked the people what they wanted they'd have said a faster horse." Teams often don't know what they want, or politics kick in, or people become afraid to take risks in front of others. The list goes on for so many reasons that teams aren't ideal at creating.
Keep that in mind the next time you try to design by committee.
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