My Process
I’m both an artist and a designer. Art is decorative. Design solves problems.
View my CV
I like to work methodically. I start by gathering all of the available data about a project in one place. This includes the project parameters, the end goal, the stakeholders, the available assets, etc. Then I plot the logical next steps - what needs to happen before anything else?
Communication is king. Most of my clients are repeat offenders - because I make it really easy to work with me. I think it’s important to check in with your team and ask questions instead of assuming. I’ve learned how to listen with empathy so I can extrapolate what a client is trying to say - even if they aren’t speaking in design terms.
Confidence, not ego. I know what I’m good at and what I need to learn. I can defend my design decisions, but I’m not attached to specifics in my work. The end goal is a happy client and happy users.
Always Be Learning. There are always new tools, new ideas, new best practices. The field of design is ever-changing, and that means looking forward to a life that will never be boring.
Research & Notes
I begin every project by gather all the available data. What is the desired goal? Who is this product for? Who are the stakeholders? What are the project constraints? When are milestones due?
Depending on my role in the project, I might next do user research, competitor research, start initial design concepts, or start a style guide. I may need to learn about a new concept or tool before beginning work. Every project is a little different.
I like to organize my to-dos and research notes in a variety of ways. Some clients have team productivity tools like Trello, Slack, or Asana. If not, I use GSuite and the Notes app to do my organizing. If my client isn’t very tech-savvy, I use the simplest system to provide them with files and data - typically DropBox and Google. Whatever works!
Initial Concepts
Every design begins with ideation. How much? Well, that depends on the project. Sometimes I explore a lot of concepts, sometimes it only takes a few sketches.
For this logo design, the client had no idea what he wanted. He was making a specialized bike part, so I sketched up a wide variety of bike-related thumnails. He ended up settling on a realistic version of his part. It looks like 3D, but it’s a vector illustration.
During this stage, I evaluate the client and the project needs on a case by case basis. Is the client thinking in the best interests of the end user, or are they stuck on particular (bad) idea? I always try to advocate for the user and in the client’s best interests. It’s important to explain your reasoning if you need to gently talk a client down.
Iteration
Tweaking things is part of every project. I always rely on feedback from users to improve my designs.
For this project, I thought it would be logical to let users shop for flowers with color as a main selector. As a non-gardner, that’s how I would shop for flowers. In an effort to make this super simple, I made the categories big buttons.
After a usability study, it turns out that people shop for flowers using a variety of criteria. Users liked the idea of shopping for flowers by color, but not all the time. I changed the main “Flowers” category to be a list format with thumbnail images. Users can browse by scrolling or use search and filter tools to narrow down results. (Including by flower color.) After another round of testing, users found this format much more useful.
Deliverables
Handing off the right assets is so important. Some clients know exactly what they need, and some don’t. Asking upfront helps design with deliverables in mind. If a client doesn’t know what files they will need, I ask them what end-uses they anticipate so I can advise them.
For the QENDO app project, I worked with an experienced dev team who managed the project. They let me know the client wanted a style guide along with the app. This is because they wanted their own in-house media team to make supporting content that matched the app. Smart!
All designers work in different ways. I have my own system of organization and prioritization while I’m working on a project. This can result in my files looking pretty chaotic! However, I always make sure I clean up my files with good organization and labeling before handoff.
Any questions?
Want to chat about a project, or just connect and chit-chat? Send me a message here or find me on my social media. Links are in the footer.