My Design Process

Below is my design process broken down into stages for you. I have done this to demystify the design process and so you can understand how extensive this process is. I believe it is a common misconception that designer can jump in front of the latest version of photoshop and begin designing immediately as this is not the case. Each stage has a brief explanation going over what this stage consists of so you as the client know what to expect.

Brief/
I will supply you with a template brief that can be found 'here'. The purpose of the brief is to ensure everyone involved in the project understands what to expect and by when. It also serves as a reference point for me as it will contain the important details such as the intend message, target audience and keywords. The brief will outline things such as; who you are/ what you do/ how you do it/ why/ target audience/ 'the message'/ project budget. All of these areas will need to be filled in thoroughly as possible. The more we put in here, the more we get out at the end.

Agreement & Meeting/

Once I have received a brief I will send you a design agreement. I know many people  get concerned when agreement gets involved in business, I know I used to. The purpose of the agreement is to protect ourselves and make sure we all know what to expect and by when, but it's okay, the agreement is negotiable and I often alter it for specific projects.  I usually meet with the clients if this is possible, or relevant. If it is is a small project then a phone call or e-mail will suffice. I prefer to meet because I feel when people talk online some meaning is lost an their can be communication errors. Also t this stage we are tying to build trust an nothing will do this better than a face-to-face meeting. It is likely that we will have a few questioned for each other; me based and the brief and you based on my a my work. The agreement will cover things such as start & end date/ stages of design & payment/ design rights &confidentiality. The sooner we get the agreement & meeting out the way the sooner I can begin the research.

Research/

I will begin to research immediately. Some of this information I will get from the brief and through talking to you in the meeting. The research will also consist of me looking into your current brand,  the history of your company, history of clients industry, what designs client do/ dont like, the future of your company, potential competition, marget/ industry trends, gaps in market/ industry, design trends, analysis, target audience, what sets you appart from the competition. The more in depth my research at this point the better the results will be in the next stage.

Brainstorm/ Idea generating/ Sketch/

This is where I begin brainstorming. I take the intended message and key points from the brief as well as the target audience and avoiding design trends into consideration. First I produce a brainstorm based on words. These words are used to spark images. I focus heavily on quality of ideas here over quantity though often enough plenty of ideas are generated.

This is where sketching begins. I focus heavily on quantity of ideas here trying go generate as many solutions as possible in the space of 15minutes then trying to beat it. I create a variety of logos including but not limited to; typographic, image only, combination of both, reversed out, silhouette, etc. 

Prototype/ Mockups/

I will then whittle down the ideas to the best 10 and execute them using Adobe Illustrator. This may either involve sketching the brand mark and scanning it in or woking into Adobe Illustrator. These ideas are then put into context by presenting them in real scenarios; stationary/ multimedia/ display mock ups, print outs. 

Client Review/

I will send you the designs as PDF document with several pages. The logo design will be presented in black and white/ greyscale. I do this because colour is subjective and will affect your interpretation of it. It is also important that logos work in black and white and do not really too heavily on color. (Colour should 'elevate' a logo not 'make' it.) At this point it is important that we focus on the form of the brand mark. Once the client has seen the logo they may with to take it as it is or make refinements. At this stage it is important that the client make these decisions based on brand values/ target audience/ the message beging conveyed/ where the brand mark will be.

Refinement/

I will then make the appropriate refinements specified by the client. Colour is then considered based on brand values/ target audience/ the message beging conveyed/ channels in wich the brand mark will be implemented.

Final Submission/

I submit the brand mark to the client in various formats, sizesblack and white/ grayscalce and full colour.

Additional Material/

If the client has requested Stationary/ Animation/ Motion Design/ posters/ leaflets/ flyers/ etc, then these will be executed with reference to all of the above.

Customer Service/

I am available to the client at any time to answer any design questions, give tips or advice as how best to implement the designs.