Good. Quick. Cheap. Pick two.

I first heard that mantra from a production director in an advertising agency.

"When it comes to print, there's good, there's quick, and there's cheap. Pick two".

I suspect this 'pick two from three' applies to much more than just printing. In most projects, getting the work done quickly and cheaply rarely results in great work. Having good work done quickly is rarely a cheap option. And if you want good work done cheaply, you generally have to make allowances for a longer delivery time.

I was reminded of this the other day when I drove past a beautifully crafted sign outside a local business which had appeared almost overnight.

It looked superb - a nice typeface, beautiful spacing, nice balance between text and white space. A lovely piece of work.

Except for the spelling mistake in the headline.

Back in the day, I was account handler on the advertising for a large group of hotels. I've worked on several hotel groups, actually, and often they're not the easiest of accounts to run. You tend to take your instructions from the marketing department, but for local activity it's the General Manager's P&L account that pays for the work. So there's often just a little bit of friction.

Anyway, I had been asked to prepare new external signage for an Edinburgh hotel that had just been taken over and refurbished. A large board by the road, advertising the new restaurant and bar, and focussing on the wide range of fine wines and beers available. This was back when having a range of continental lagers was a big thing.

So, we found a great signwriter, got a quote, and I took the estimate to the General Manager. "Four hundred quid?" said the GM. "I can get it done for half that".

And he did. A few days later, as I arrived for our next meeting, I noticed the new sign was up. "Nice sign" I said, as I joined the GM in his office.

"Yes, and it only cost me two hundred quid" he said. "Tea or coffee?".

"Neither, thanks. Can I have a Continental Larger please?"

"You mean a Lager?"

"No, a Larger".

"What's that?"

"I don't know, but it says on your sign outside that you sell them".

He'd had it done quickly, and cheaply. But not well.

If we had done it, it would have been more expensive. But if we'd messed it up, I'd have been responsible for having it re-done, not him.

I know you want everything done quickly, done well, and done cheaply. But honestly, you have to pick two of the three.