ACQUIRING COMPETENCIES
Client Needs:
When designing I want to first talk with the client and find out what idea brought them to me. What type of design are they looking for? Will my talent best fit their vision?
Research:
Once I have established the needs of the client, I will then move on to the research to see if their idea has already been done before. Find out who has done it. When it was done and how they went about producing the design
Vision:
What are the client’s overall visions for their idea? What is my idea for their vision? How can we bring the two ideas together? If the client envisions a bright neon design and the vision, I had that they also liked is to have a sophisticated black design then I will try to come up with design examples that incorporate both ideas.
Vision Board:
Now that the vision has been created the next step would be to create a vision board. A vision board is an overall idea made up of different visuals and typefaces that match the message of the design vision. This will essentially help the client see their idea come to life just a little bit so they don’t lose interest in it and can be encouraged to stick with me to the finish line.
Type:
Typography can make or break a design. That is what I have learned over the years as a designer. Too small of a font can be difficult to see. Making it hard for the audience to see. Too big of a font can be as if the message is screaming at the audience. I used to choose fonts that came with the program I was using. After many lessons and a ton of feedback, I have learned to look outside the program and find more creative and free options. Sometimes the free fonts work and look better. This option also helps me see that my typeface options are not limited but endless. I’ve also learned how to create my own fonts.
Voice and Tone:
The voice and tone will tell me if the message is cheerful, humorous, or serious. The tone and voice usually help me determine a style to follow throughout my design process. The voice of tone also helps me with my element choices. For example, if the voice and tone are edgy then the design elements, I would choose for my design would be an old English typeface accompanied by bright and dark colors. Essentially breaking the grid. A rule-breaking design.
Imagery:
Imagery in design is very important. Images aid the message the client wants the audience to receive. In an article on Medium, the author writes “Using visual imagery will not only help balance out the content, but the meaning will be an added benefit.” (Canvas Editorial 2022). So, when I choose images for a design, I try to find images that best match the message of the design. Rooting back to the vision board I created at the beginning of the design process.
Look and Feel:
The look for my designs is the shapes, lines, images, fonts, and color palettes I choose for the design. This is a package of elements I plan to incorporate into the design I make for my clients. This gives them more of an idea of the direction the design is heading in.
Sketches:
Sketches are the skeleton of the overall design. This is the middle of the design process for me. The sketching part of the design process is needless to say my favorite part of the process. All the planning before this step helped me envision the sketches in my head. Now I get to put them down on paper. I will usually do about ten to twenty sketches per design. Then I will present the sketches to my clients, and they can pick which ones they like. Then I will modify the sketches they pick, and I will continue this process until the client has picked a design, they feel fits their brand.
Communication:
Communication is extremely important when designing for clients. This ensures I am keeping the client in the know throughout the entire design process. This helps me know what the clients want. Even though the clients have expressed their ideas and plans for the design sometimes the idea can change. Thus, resulting in design changes. Which is why communication is important.
Vectored Images:
Now that the final sketch has been chosen, I can move on to creating the vector images. By images I mean I create more than one version of the final sketch. I will play with the placement of the logo and the symbol. That way I can show my client the different versions of the logo or design and they can tell me which one they like. In the end, the final decision comes from the client.
Swag:
Once the logo is designed, I can get to work designing the merchandise for the brand. I can find a variety of free mockups on websites like Freepik. Mockup designs help me show my clients what their merchandise can look like before I get to printing and creating the different items. For example, I will create sweaters, t-shirts, tumblers, and bags. Those are usually the items that I create within my business.
Advertisement:
When creating advertisements, I will keep the design cohesive. I will use the same elements for the advertisements. Having a cohesive and simple design for the advertisements helps the audience identify the brand without having to question which brand they are looking at. Then I will begin to design different advertisements, such as bus wraps, bus stops, billboards, etc. Designing a variety of advertisements for my clients helps draw attention to the brand
Website:
When I design websites for my clients, I keep the elements the same. I try to keep the design simple, so the attention stays on the brand and the message the company is trying to convey. I have enough information on the website to be informative on who the brand is and what its mission is. I will add a page for the content, and other pages the customers would like on their website.
Reference:
Canvas Editorial. (January 2022). Enhancing meaning through strong visual imagery. Article. Medium. https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/enhancing-meaning-through-strong-visual-imagery-3a651e729154