Enigma: The Process.
For some, having a process means having a road map to get from point A to point B. We, on the other hand, prefer to think of a process as a series of landmarks which can guide us along our journey.
When our pioneer forefathers began their westward journey, many of them did so knowing only that they wanted to go “West.” In those days, they had no concept of road maps as we know them today. Indeed, for the earliest of them, travelling westward meant travelling into mostly uncharted territory. All they had to guide them were a series of landmarks, such as Chimney Rock along the famous Oregon Trail.
Drawing a parallel to those early pioneers, each one of our projects is a creative journey. In most cases, we have a general idea of where we need to go (“West”), but the route by which to get there may not always be obvious. So for us, the process is less about following well-traveled routes and more about identifying a series of landmarks or stages throughout a project which can help us stay focused on forward momentum.
Landmark 1: Identify the Decision Makers.
Sometimes clients will have more than one person with a vested interest in the project, and each of those people will often want a seat at the table. Unfortunately, allowing everyone who wants a seat to have have one can lead to endless hours of needless revision and wasted time because of mixed and conflicting communication. We prefer that our clients appoint one individual to serve as the focal point for the project. This person—and only this person—is the one with whom we will interact during the project.
Landmark 2: Dialogue and Conceptualization.
Every project should start with the computers turned off. Pencils, paper, and face-to-face dialogues afford the opportunity to focus on substance. This stage, above all others, cannot be rushed. It’s of paramount importance to invest the appropriate amount and quality of time into getting the foundations right. Any graphic designer will bring his or her own ideas to the table, but the willingness to shelf those ideas when the situation warrants is the mark of a true professional. Ideally, this most crucial landmark will foster an environment in which the designer’s ideas will merge with the client’s ideas and create something new and wonderful.
Landmark 3: The Rough Drafts.
With a clear understanding of the client’s goals and vision, we can begin putting ideas on paper, so to speak. Often, time spent at this landmark is mostly about exploration and discovery. Since graphic design is more art than science, a given question can often have more than one “right” answer; therefore, we will often come up with multiple approaches to satisfy the client’s needs. Exploration and discovery inevitably result in a few dead ends, but ultimately we will leave this landmark with a few strong concept pieces which we submit to the client.
Landmark 4: Select and Refine.
At this landmark, our client has the opportunity to review the rough drafts, ask questions, make comments, and suggest revisions. Experience shows that of the rough drafts, one will generally stand out as the favorite. Once the client makes a selection, our attention and energy shift fully toward refining the chosen design into its final form. Once that form is reached, the endgame can begin in earnest.
Landmark 5: The Endgame.
While departing somewhat from our pioneer theme, this landmark is named appropriately nonetheless. Here, we focus on crafting the refined design concept into the finished, functional product. In the case of print design, it involves preparing the files for print, and then facilitating the printing process. In the case of website design, we build out the required pages, do any back-end programming required, and set up the website on a sandbox server for beta testing. When we are done at this landmark, the project is essentially complete, and all that remains is final delivery to our client.
Destination Reached: Final Delivery.
Once final payment is collected, we can finally turn over the completed product to our client. In the case of printed materials, we can have them delivered, or dropped in the mail. In the case of a website, we can allow the site to go live.