As one of the designers at The Studio 4 I have had the opportunity to work on some really exciting projects over the past 12months, Including advertising campaigns for a leading flooring manufacturer and websites for some of our biggest clients. Producing artwork for projects like this is always a challenge, I’ve written this blog to give insight into how I tackle these briefs.
Every designer is different and there isn’t one single way of working. It all depends on what works best for you, the timescale and the project. But for me as a rule of thumb I break my design process down into 6 key areas. Reaching each step helps me get to the next, and gives me a structure to a more often than not hectic day. It also allows me to understand where each different job is up to, and makes picking them back up easier. Some projects, such as advert design, can take weeks to get to final stage and other jobs may only take a matter of minutes, either way understanding which stage I’m at helps me progress through the job. The first stage on my list is:
1.Concept
This is the starting place of all jobs. Sometimes I will work from a formal written brief and other times it may just be a conversation. In both instances I will note down the key bits of information such as the industry sector, target audience, colours schemes etc. From here I will visualize different ways of executing the job, when I feel I’m ready to start creating some artwork I move onto the next stage.
2.Development
This for me is the part I enjoy the most, it’s a time where I can throw around a number of different ideas, play around with concepts and see what works and what doesn’t.
3.Draft
Once I have tested a number of options and I’ve developed an understanding of what looks right, and most importantly what fits the brief. I will push myself to stick to 3 or 4 initial ideas and I will work these up into drafts.
4.Present
When I’m happy with a couple of draft versions I will then present these to the client for feedback. At this stage you could find yourself back at step number 1 or at step 6, but mostly I will receive both positive feedback and areas they would like to change/amend.
5.Redesign
After my presentation I will evaluate the feedback I’ve had and rework the design in relation. On a good day this will be minor text changes and on other days it will require more work. Sometimes I will move from step 4 – 5 a couple of times before completion.
6.Completion
Ultimately the artwork will reach a stage where the client has something they are extremely happy with and fits the initial brief.
If you would like to see some of the creative artwork we have put together in the past please visit our portfolio, and if you would like to talk through some concept ideas for your next project get in touch with us!