Survive and Thrive in the Design Process

Article 6 min
Master the ins and outs of the design process to ensure a smooth project from initial concept to delivery.

There is no denying that powerful visuals can make information more easily understood and consumed. A reader may initially pass a paragraph of text but stop on a stunning photograph, infographic or illustration. Judicious use of imagery is a great way to get readers engaged and interested in your content.

Creating the right imagery that tells the story your client wants and reaches the intended audience takes work. It helps to follow a guide.

Every creator's design process is unique, but there are certain challenges everyone must navigate from initial idea to delivery. Uncover the common paths through the design process and get tips for surviving the feedback loop so your designs are well received and you're inspired for the next project.

Click a target to reveal more in-depth information.

Survive and Thrive In The Design Process

An abstract background composed of various shades of blue. Pencils, paper, folders and stars decorate the background.

Identify the Needs; Set the Goals

At the start of the design process, meet with your client to establish the client brief. The purpose of this brief is to define client needs, design goals and deadlines. It will also inform your future design decisions and provide structure as you execute the plan.

Your client brief should have the following key takeaways:

  • Deadlines, expectations, deliverables and other pertinent information
  • Intended audience
  • Key information points

You also need to establish the goal of the product. Is it simply a feel-good/branding product, or is there a specific outcome like a conversion (e.g., products intended to increase awareness of safety protocols)? Once you know the goal, you can establish ways to measure success, such as:

  • Performance metrics (fewer accidents)
  • Consumer visits
  • Inquiries
  • Downloads
  • Revenue

Take plenty of notes during your meeting with the client and listen carefully to what is said. This is the time for the client to discuss the project and the designer to ask questions.

Design is problem solving, so look to provide solutions to the client's requests. Throughout the process, change is inevitable, so be flexible and pivot when needed.

Establish deadline(s).

Use backward planning when agreeing on deadlines. The designer starts with a proposed deadline for product delivery and works backward through the design process steps, ensuring there is adequate time allocated in the schedule to complete each step properly.

Research and Develop Assets

This is the “Research and Development” phase when you learn more about your intended audience and the project you’re creating.

Throughout your project, you will create and exchange assets. Files should be easily accessible to you and your client. You should establish:

  • A file protocol for assets
  • A file naming convention

Create a mood board.

A mood board (or inspiration board) is a collage of ideas. You should create wherever you feel comfortable — on an artboard, a digital slide or an online tool like Canva or Pinterest. A mood board explores the visual themes used in the initial design and any subsequent pieces. They are great tools to try out textures, style, typography and composition that help convey the overall feeling you're trying to capture.

Sketch and Analyze Ideas

Whether your final product will be a video, graphic, photo series or even a podcast, it is incredibly helpful to sketch out your ideas. This might take the form of thumbnails, rough layouts, paper prototypes, storyboards or wireframes.

In these sketches, you'll establish the overall visual language of the product (or series of products), what copy you may need and where that copy will go. You'll sketch out how to convey the branding through logo placement and typeface. These early sketches ensure the user can interact with the product in a way that meets the goals you established earlier in the process.

Sketch multiple designs early.

Sketching is important for the ideation process and serves as a roadmap for other designers on the project to follow. One designer may start the project, but another may finish. The person who handles the early sketch may not be the same person who wraps up the final deliverables.

Follow these tips:

  • Think “quantity now, quality later.”
  • Don't worry about how your notes/sketches look.
  • Sketching can include notes about possible solutions, such as color combinations, typefaces and the use of elements.
  • Sketching can be done on a sketchbook, whiteboard, printer paper, mobile device or something unconventional like a napkin.
    • In 1998, Paula Scher, one of the most influential graphic designers, sketched her logo ideas for Citibank on a napkin. The company paid $1.5 million for it. Sketching gets the idea out of your head and into existence.
  • Create a list of words/phrases related to the theme.
    • Look for connections and combinations.
    • Make word associations.
    • Try mind mapping.
  • Analyze and compare ideas to each other, then compare them to industry. Start looking for things that stand out.

Develop the End Product

In this phase, you'll zero in on solutions to meet the needs you uncovered in the early phase of the project. Your initial sketches and mood boards come in handy here. As you begin to develop the end product, it's good to remember the decisions made, the agreed-upon goals and the details from the finalized sketches. There will likely be a few ways to reach the project goal, so creating and presenting alternates is a good idea. Check to make sure all decisions are incorporated into the final product.

Have fun during creation.

Be curious. Try new things.

Get Valuable Feedback

You are now in the phase where you'll present your idea and sketches to your client. Before doing so, try getting some preliminary feedback. You may want to:

  • Present your work to team members and non-designers for critique.
  • Show members of the intended audience your work to get real-time feedback.

Embrace the feedback.

Critiques can feel intimidating because you never know what will be said. As a professional, learn how to deal with feedback. Don’t take it personally; it’s part of the job. Embrace it and use it to improve your final product.

Prepare to explain your design decisions but be flexible. If the client wants something changed, change it. If, in your professional opinion, a suggested change is negative, show a positive revision instead.

Present to your clients using these tips:

  • Present your work as though it’s the final product. Don’t show the client your messy artboards.
  • Show clean presentations to enhance your credibility and make the approval process easier.
  • Use the templates from Adobe Spark or Google Sites for a simple slide presentation if you don't have the software.

Improve Your Design And Finalize Deliverables

During your client brief, you identified the deliverables needed. As you moved through the process, you incorporated feedback to ensure the requirements established in the brief were met. In this step, finalize your materials and wrap up the project. Before you send your final product to the client, take it through one last quality assurance round.

Ideally, you ran your work through quality assurance tests as you created. Even so, before you deliver, follow these testing tips:

  • For printed work, make test prints.
  • For onscreen work, test how the deliverables will look on the screen.
  • Don't forget to include mobile views.

Create a style guide.

A style guide, or branding guide, is an essential document that ensures brand consistency throughout all products. For example, a physical or digital style guide:

  • Provides the necessary information on handling elements
  • Serves as a transition between brainstorming and the first draft
  • Guides the creative team by providing direction
  • Conveys concepts quickly
  • Establishes the tone that influences the imagery, color, voice and type
  • Prevents misunderstandings that verbal explanations might create

Review Your Goals; Refine as Needed

You designed your piece with specific and stated goals in mind. Ideally, it delivers the desired results but may need adjustments and refinements. Perhaps the call to action was unclear, the action link was broken or the poster placement necessitated a larger typeface. The overall design got the job done but could use companion pieces to deliver the required reach.

Evolve your work.

Take your time analyzing the data and use the resources available to you, such as focus groups or experienced designers. Don't be shy about taking designs back to the drawing board. Evolve your work with the changing needs of the audience you serve.

Discover More You May Like

View All Articles