the PROCESS
IDEATE | CREATE | ITERATE
How high-polish deliverables get made, ensuring the client achieves their goals, the company retains profit, and the end-user gets a frictionless experience and takes action.
STEP 1
identify
What’s the heart of the message? What are the client’s end-goals? If we only had the resources and time to communicate one thing, what would it be?
Design is ultimately visual engineering; the manipulation of foundational design principles that subconsciously deliver cues and consciously communicates a message to prompt people to take action. Identifying the key message and goal sets the direction for the entire process.
STEP 2
DISCOVER
What’s worked in the past? What have the designers and agencies of renown accomplished when their goals were the same? What design elements, visual cues, and patterns did they follow?
Research. Find out what other successful creators have done by gathering information, visual or otherwise, and finding the common elements.
There’s a wealth of online visual libraries that offer inspiration and ideas that can be used to communicate what has successfully been done in the past. They also highlight emerging trends.
STEP 3
create
“There are three responses to a piece of design—yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”
Make stuff. Start with the foundations of convention and tradition, but add in the twists of personality and flavor that gets the double-take and the lingering look.
STEP 4
deliver
Send it. In a world of deadlines, budgets, and multiple moving pieces, make sure the deliverable gets to the client on time.
Get feedback. Did I deliver on every expectation the client had? Did I listen to them and decipher what they asked for and what they wanted? How successful was the collateral?
Did I get that “wow” I was looking for?
STEP 5
iterate
Again. Do it again and again and again, and do better every time.
Take the feedback and use it to improve. Iteration is how I sharpen my design skills and become more efficient at identifying the end-user’s needs and achieving client satisfaction.
I view my work as a continuous learning experience, becoming more efficient in my workflow and more creative with each deliverable execution.
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