Having an administrative background, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to engage in the process that happens behind the scenes to create great design concepts. But, since coming to work for Design the Planet, I’ve had some first-hand experience at seeing the process in motion. It goes something like this:
When we get a new project, the first step is research and brainstorming. We look at a client’s competition, trends in their target market, what sets them apart, their history, their future, their current brand, and the one they aspire to become. When all this information is gathered a brainstorming meeting is scheduled. Everyone is given the basic scope of the project with the research information gathered and asked to bring his or her design ideas to the “table”. Whether a concept is hand drawn, printed, presented in text or verbally expressed, every concept is fully vetted, kneaded and molded into some fashion and no matter how bizarre or mundane received with equal enthusiasm. And yes, even I, the office administrator, am invited into the process. Once all the ideas have been fleshed out, they are worked through again and the basic concept (what says it best) begins to form. Once the basic concept is chosen, all of the various design elements that were brought to the table are gone over once again to see what needs to be fleshed out, eliminated or set aside as possible options. When the brainstorming process is done, our illustrators and designers head off to the drawing board to put all the ideas together and create a rough draft of the agreed upon concept.
Depending on the size of the project, several more meetings may be in store before the client is given 1-2 concept ideas for their own vetting process. Then, with the client’s input, it’s back to the process – fleshing out ideas and elements, what works, what doesn’t, colors, textures, photos, drawings, fonts, and styles – every detail is looked over carefully to ensure it’s place in the overall design and then, suddenly (that is suddenly after hours of labor), there it is, the finished product – whether it’s a website, a logo, a billboard, an advertisement or a box design – there we are all gathered around like new parents – oohing, ahhhing, congratulating each other on another job well done. Another design concept carried from conception to birth and handed over to its new owner.
As the celebration and congratulations are coming to and end… wait, what is that I hear, the phone is ringing, and yes, it’s another client, hey everyone, we got the contract … and we’re off on another adventure, another journey from conception to birth.
