Design as a Process

1. Design as a Process

2. Define the Design Objective • Are you promoting, informing, direction, or enhancing? • Getting consumers to buy a product, letting them know of an event • Teaching them about a subject or procedure, helping them navigate in the world, etc.

3. Define the Communication Objective • What is the main message? • How will the message be crafted. Will the communication be delivered with words, imagery, or a combination of both?

4. Define the Target Audience • This is the group toward whom you are directing your message or communication. • What is their profile? • Human activity • Behavior • Attitudes (thinking, feeling, behaving, interacting) • Beliefs

5. Research the Subject • Know your subject. • Research it! • Photograph subjects • Collect artifacts • Research history • Identify color schemes, typefaces, and cultural and social references. Working exclusively from your head will limit your ability to solve the problem accurately and creatively!

6. Brainstorm Potential Ideas • Visually Think • To manage a visual idea you must get the idea from your mind, where it exists in an abstract state, into the visual world, where it is concrete. • Once in the visual world, it can be developed and refined and described to others.

7. Visual Thinking is a Process EVALUATE EVALUATE 1. Determine a fixed time. 10 minute sessions to generate ideas 2, Work quickly to generate as many ideas as possible 3. Do not judge an ideas at this phase 4. Review your ideas and choose 2 or 3 to pursue further EVALUATE EVALUATE EVALUATE 5. Narrow to a single idea & produce a number of variations 6. Refine & refine again. 7. Prepare the refined idea for final execution

8. Choose the Right Media & Venue • Media refers to various communication industries • publishing, TV, film, digital, & printing • Venues are within Media • magazines, books, commercials, web sites, billboards, brochures, and packaging design Function, cost, and viability are the key considerations when selecting an appropriate venue.

9. Develop a Graphic Design Strategy • A strategy is how you plan to produce the design. • Manage Time: work backward from the due date to determine what needs to be done and when you need to do it. • Apply the elements of design to your plan

10. Evaluate the Decisions as You Go • It is more valuable to assess the direction of a project in progress and not at the end. • Ask: • Is the design still aligned with the objectives? • Is the communication message represented in the design? • Do you need to consider more ideas, or is it time to narrow choices? • Have you received enough feedback? • Is the project on track to meet planned deadlines?

11. Creative Risk Taking • Don’t forget to take creative risks in the beginning. • Think outside the problem or approach it with a playful mind set. • Generate many potential solutions. • Resist judging your ideas at the beginning. • Even if they seem ridiculous. • A truly creative solution often runs counter to expectations. • Apply the principles and elements as you bring the components together.