A few years back we embarked on a cross-country family roadtrip. We were trekking out to visit family in Colorado and decided to lean into the “half the fun is getting there” approach.
I’m a bit of a planner, so it’s possible that I may have created a detailed schedule that included the exact distance we would travel each day, as well as various points of interest that we would visit along the way. (Alright kids, we are scheduled to have fun at the children’s museum in Albuquerque from 10-2, so let’s get to it! I said have fun!!)
Of course, not everything can be done on a schedule and impulsivity or impromptu activities certainly have their place (provided there’s a heads-up and a minor agenda).
But seriously, when there is a goal that needs to be accomplished it really does help to have a map of where you are going and what you can expect to encounter along the way.
This got me thinking about the importance of having a “road map” for design projects. While each project has it’s own challenges (or potholes to continue the metaphor) there should be a general template they adhere to.
Today we are going to walk through our process for doing a design project. If you are a designer, you may want to take notes to compare your current approach toward projects to make sure you aren’t missing anything.
If you hire creatives, this will give you the “lay of the land” on what to expect when outsourcing design work. For each step we will unpack the purpose and process, as well as highlight “points of interest” along the way.
Gotta Question For You
The beginning of a project can be very exciting. The possibilities are endless and it can be tempting to jump right in and start pulling together inspiration for color palettes and fonts. However, design is about problem solving and, if you are going to do your job well, before you can solve a problem, there’s quite a bit you need to know.
Who is the target audience?
What’s the goal of the project?
Is there an existing brand that needs to be adhered to?
As a designer, you should have a list of questions that you walk through for the purpose of determining whether or not you are a fit for a project or the project is a fit for you.
POINT OF INTEREST: You may want to have that list compiled into an online questionnaire that clients and potential clients can fill out. The value of having one is that people can fill it out at their leisure and it can help them get clarity on what they are wanting.
If you want, take a peek at our questionnaire to start your wheels turning on how it can work.
If you don’t have an online questionnaire, you will want to plan a meeting to ask your questions. Usually this could be best done over the phone. Remember, the purpose in asking these questions is to get a clear picture of what is needed for a project, so you can be sure you would be a good fit to serve the clients needs.
Let’s Get This Party Started
Once there is an understanding of the needs of a project and there is a fit between client-goals and designer-skills, it’s time to have a Start-Up Meeting.
The purpose of a Start-Up Meeting is to get further clarity about the project, as well as discussing the specifics regarding: project scope, deliverables, who are the decision-makers, and what kind of timeline is needed.
POINT OF INTEREST: This meeting can happen in-person, on phone, or via video chat, but we highly recommend recording the meeting. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just a record of the audio to review and reference back to at certain pivotal points in the project.
Once you have the recording, the audio transcribed for easier reference and you can send a brief recap to the client to be sure that everyone is on the same page regarding the direction of the project.
Work Your Magic
Once all of your questions have been answered, you have a clear picture of the goals and purpose, as well as some client content (even if it’s not final) it’s time to start concepting.
Depending upon the type of project the concept phase can take a number of forms. For example, the process for concepting a logo isn’t the same as concepting booth graphics. Plus, each designer may have their own approach for how they go about solving design problems. For the purpose of this article, we will share what concepting may look like for a brochure.
What we have found most effective when concepting a brochure is to work up a cover and one spread. This usually gives enough opportunity to show various solutions to the issues the brochure may have.
POINT OF INTEREST: Sometimes a designer will work with placeholder copy because the content has not been written. When that is the case, there needs to be agreement about the amount and type of copy that will be coming. If there is no copy and the client is not clear about the direction the copy will go, it is our recommendation to hold off on concepting until that is determined.
Concepting a brochure consists of selecting fonts, color palette, photography or illustration, as well as the overall graphic feel of a piece.
It’s our responsibility as designers to explore a variety of approaches and graphic solutions in order to find the best fit for project. You may start with an idea that began to form in your mind as you reviewed questions at the start-up meeting. However, you can’t just settle on that first idea.
Always keeping the goals of the project in front of you, make sure that you’ve done your due diligence and have worked out a number of options.
I always make sure that at some point I go in the complete opposite direction visually, to see if that results in anything that may solve the problem better.
For example, if my sense is that a project would be served by a very clean, simple layout with icons; after creating that I will also work through a more stylized approach or possibly illustrations and fonts that look more hand-drawn.
That doesn’t necessarily mean I would show any of that to the client, but what I have found is that it will either affirm the original direction I was going or I will find elements that I can pull from and apply in a new way.
Presentation Time
Once we have done a thorough job of concepting, we present solutions to the client. Depending upon the scope of a project there is usually 1–3 concepts presented.
Ideally, this is done in person and the designer walks through the various elements and explains how the solutions address the goals and problems established at the Start-Up Meeting.
It is possible for concepts to be sent digitally for the client to review, but in those cases it is imperative to include either a detailed description or schedule a call where the designer can walk through the concepts.
POINT OF INTEREST: If you are going to be sending concepts via email for clients to review, approach the description as if it were basically a transcript of what you would say in person. Restate the problems and goals, and explain how the visual solutions address each of them.
Once the concepts have been presented, if it was an in-person meeting, allow time for client feedback and response. If you have sent concepts, schedule a time to talk to client after they have reviewed the files.
At this point, any questions or concerns should be addressed and the team will determine the direction the project will go. There may be adjustments that the client would like to see, so you would come to agreement about the specifics of those adjustments and when you would send revised files to review.
Layout
Once everyone is in agreement on the visual direction, it is time to rollout out the concept of cover and spread to the entire brochure.
At this time all content would need to be provided (copy & photos) so that the entire brochure can be designed. If all of the content is not ready, but the concept has been approved, it is our recommendation to hold off on layout until you have full content.
To layout a brochure with incomplete content usually results in “spinning your wheels” or busy work which isn’t productive.
Waiting until you have complete content allows you to move forward with confidence and ultimately results in fewer back-and-forth revisions.
Once the entire brochure has been created, it is sent to the client as a pdf to review. It can be very exciting to see all of the meetings, questions, ideas and concepts come together as the brochure takes shape.
POINT OF INTEREST: If you are working in a new format, it may be wise to print out and mock-up the brochure. At the very least for you to any potential issues, but possibly to send to the client as well. Looking at graphics on screen can be quite different than reviewing a physical mock-up.
At this point you could also begin talking about paper stock and determining print vendors. It’s always better to get a printer involved earlier than later, so that there are no surprises when artwork goes to production.
Edits
Once the client has a pdf or mock-up to review, they will identify any edits that need to be made. Even the most polished copy may need a tweak or two once it is seen in a layout.
We usually plan between 1-3 rounds of revisions. Smaller brochures are typically 1 or 2, with the first round being more involved and the second round more minimal.
Larger brochures can sometimes use all 3 rounds of edits. We have discovered that if you do not set a limit on the number of revision rounds, they can drag on and ultimately hurt the end product. The remedy for staying within scope is clear and constant communication about status and being specific about upcoming steps.
POINT OF INTEREST: It is wise to utilize the services of a proof-reader. It may be someone at the client’s office who is a “fresh” set of eyes, or it could be a professional proof-reader.
Regardless, it’s always good to have someone who is combing over the entire files and making sure that there are no typos and that all of the content is correct.
We had a project where the client had misspelled a vendor’s web address in their brochure. Fortunately it was caught during the proof-reading round of edits.
Final Prep
Once a file has been approved it is time to prep the file for production. We have covered the process to prep a file for print in a previous blog post, which is available to read here.
POINT OF INTEREST: As a special bonus we have created a FREE File Prep Guide that is available when you sign up to receive updates. Simply enter your email address at the top of the page or click here! The guide can be a handy tool if you don’t have a process for prepping your files (or you just want to understand what file prep entails). It’s a simple one-page guide that addresses all of the important issues that a file prep should resolve.
Conclusion
We hope that walking through this process has provided a better idea of what to expect when working on a design project. For designers, we would love to hear if there was anything new that you picked up from reading our process.
For non-designers, we hope it gives you a roadmap of what to expect when managing a design project.
Of course, if you have an upcoming project and are in need of a designer to partner with, consider giving us a call. We would love to partner with you on your design needs by providing a clear roadmap for your project so that you arrive at your destination on time and equipped with the resources you need.
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