Hey, my name is Mason – I’m the Graphic Designer here at Wingman Direct Marketing. Working at Wingman allows the opportunity to create content for all different types of clients – but, what is the creative process when designing posters, logos, social media graphics and everything else in between? We here at Wingman thought this blog would be a great opportunity to showcase all the steps along the path of the creative process we go through when starting a new project for our clients. Let’s get started…
1. Understanding the Brief.
First things first, we need to know exactly what we are being asked to create. Reading and understanding the well-documented brief will ensure you are aware of everything the client wants, but more importantly – what they don’t want. Here in the creative process, the client will outline their thoughts and ideas regarding the direction they would like to see the project head.
2. Research, Research, Research
Now that we know exactly what the client is asking for, we need to go and do some research. Looking at examples of projects that have been created by different designers is a great way to get the creative juices flowing and spark new ideas for this design project (I recommend www.behance.net or www.thedieline.com).
3. Rough Sketches
Now, let’s take that inspiration and put our own creative spin on it. We’ve read the brief and done our research. It’s time to get to work getting our ideas out of our head and down on paper. During this part of the creative process, I like to sketch the old-fashioned way – pencil and paper. By doing some thumbnail sketches I’m able to see what works and what doesn’t. Then I choose 3 concepts that have the most potential and move forward to the next step.
4. Vectorize Sketches
Still have those sketches from Step 3? Good, we’re going to need those. It’s time to vectorize our sketches in Adobe Illustrator. This is where the magic happens in the creative process – we will make important choices like which fonts, colours and layout options work the best for the overall design. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day – take your time, explore all your options and allow your ideas to grow through-out this step.
5. Approval
Whoa, look at those vectorized graphics! They are looking awesome – but, we don’t have the final say. Let’s get our final designs organized and exported into a PDF file. It’s time to send them to the client to get their feedback. Sometimes miracles do happen, and you nail it, first try – realistically, there are usually going to be some revisions, and that’s okay! A few quick changes and before you know it, we’ve reached the finish line.
Conclusion
We hope this gave you some insight in the creative process I and the fellow crewmembers at Wingman go through when making the creative work for our clients’ needs. Ready to redesign that logo, get some posters created for your next Covid-friendly event or give your social media feed a refresh? The Wingman crew wants to hear from you. If you want a Wingman to help you out, we’re only one contact away. Book a Wingman today. You don’t have to fly solo.