Remembering That Whole “Jones Drew Jaguars” Thing
Okay, so this phrase popped into my head today, “jones drew jaguars,” and it took me back. It wasn’t some big famous event, just something from an old project I was stuck on.
We were working on this campaign, needed some sleek, modern graphics. You know, abstract stuff representing speed and power. We called the project “Jaguar” internally, just a codename. This guy, Jones, was supposed to be handling some initial concept sketches. Real simple stuff.
So, I check in with him after a couple of days. I ask him, “Hey Jones, how’s the Jaguar stuff coming along?” And he looks up, all proud, and pushes these papers towards me. I look down, and seriously, he had spent two days drawing actual jaguars. Like, the big cats. Detailed sketches of spotted felines prowling and stuff.
I just stared at them. Then at him. Then back at the drawings. I think my exact words were something like, “Jones… what… what is this?” He was genuinely confused. He said, “You said ‘Project Jaguar,’ so I drew jaguars.” He literally drew jaguars.
- Took the project name way too literally.
- Completely missed the brief about abstract graphics.
- Wasted like two days of work.
Man, the scramble after that. We were behind schedule already. I had to basically ditch his work, pull in someone else, and work late nights to get back on track. Jones felt bad, I guess, but it was just… baffling. How do you misunderstand that badly?
What Came Out of It
It became a running joke, obviously. Anytime someone took instructions a bit too literally, we’d say they “drew jaguars.” But it also taught me something, you know? You gotta be super clear with instructions. Can’t assume everyone’s on the same page, even with codenames.
We eventually finished the project, it turned out okay. But whenever I think about clear communication, or just weird workplace moments, I think back to that. Jones drawing those darn jaguars. Wild stuff.
