Classic doesn’t mean boring and it certainly doesn’t mean old school or stodgy. It does, however, mean foregoing trends in many area's, let your brand speak for itself. If you're a toy shop, be fun. If you're an electrical contractor get technical. If you're an artist, prove it. If you're a financial institution, keep it traditional (no seriously), no one want's to think you're playing with their money. Choose colors with staying power (such as neutrals or primary colors), and have the vision to being able to see the branding lasting for decades. That’s the goal, right?
This seems obvious, but everyone has seen a design or marketing effort that just doesn’t align with what the company does. Let your mission statement and business plan lead the way. If your company is a trampoline business in the ocean off Hawaii, please get in touch I'll do your logo for free.
1
DISCOVERY
Spend appropriate amount of time with key stakeholders to establish scope, goals and needs to reach consensus on critical communication design issues. This makes sure everyone is on the same page going forward and we are all clear on the ultimate goal.
2
RESEARCH
Review of history and current collateral pieces your company is using. Collect data about your competition and your market demographics. Examine communication task and target audience.
3
CREATE A PROJECT DEFINITION DOCUMENT (SCOPE)
The findings document incorporates all the information gathered during steps 1 and 2. containing information about your products, services and organizational attributes and more. Defining the scope of the project is a critical step. One of the most common frustrations with Design projects is scope creep. By creating a well-defined project scope plan that outlines specific activities and deliverables, along with specific timelines, we will be able to clearly set expectations from both parties.
4
DEVELOP STRATEGY
This step may vary depending on the scale of your project, but it’s best to develop a strategy before putting pencil to paper. Through this, I analyze the research gathered and decide on the design and functionality criteria. This is a good time to examine any last minute ideas and start the creative process.
5
CREATE VISUAL EXPLORATIONS
Utilizing mood boards to capture your visual brand expression. It is not a specific design or “tactic”, like a web site or a print ad. Here we explore the color palette, typography, image styles and iconography. Create several mockups to further refine the piece.
6
DEVELOP THE PROJECT/MEDIA
Presented as a PDF file with the design in context. It’s now the job of the client to review the designs and provide feedback based on their objectives and the needs of their target audience.
At this stage, the designer is tasked with making changes to the aesthetic elements based on client’s request or putting the final touches on an agreed upon design.
7
THE HAND OFF
With the final design approved, the designer is now able to implement the finished piece across all deliverables, which may include both print and web. Depending on the project and/or media, the materials may often be handed off to a third-party, which include Prepress/Printer,
Media Outlet,
Launched on the Web. Likewise the client will receive the output in a variety of formats and resolutions for use on advertising, letterhead web or billboards. The client also receives all materials and source files used to create the deliverables.
