3 Steps to Igniting Your Design Planning Process

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Credit: elenathewise on Photodune

More than once, I’ve made the mistake of diving head first into a project, full of enthusiasm and brimming with ideas. After a quick consult with what seems to be an agreeable and understanding client, I’m already half a dozen logo concepts down in Illustrator and adjusting kerning and leading in InDesign to suit the brilliant brochure design that has materialized at the front of my mind. All seems well in my creative world.

I’ve found out the hard way, that sometimes the creative process does not always go to plan. Unplanned adjustments, small client misunderstandings, added extras slid in here and there, long response times and unworkable files and information create a huge, foreboding cloud in what was just a week ago a sunny sky.

I’ve created a three-step checklist to prepare myself for projects, which I hope will be of use to my fellow creative who make a habit of diving into the deep end.

Know your client

A business name or brand can be deceiving. The last thing you can afford to do is make an assumption based on who you think the client is, or what they do.

If you’re meeting face to face, it’s easier to bridge this gap. Use this meeting to ask questions, not only about what the client does, but what they stand for, and particular processes or specialties that set them apart from their competitors.

If you can’t meet face to face, it’s important to establish a working brief. To some, a blank document full of fields to fill out can seem imposing. And put simply, some just don’t have the time to articulate the answers. Develop your own set of questions to be answered, and talk through it over the phone. It’s always a good idea to provide some guidance as to what you expect – a working example will give the client direction.

Once you’ve established what the client wants, it’s also important to establish what they don’t want. Be inquisitive about what has worked for them in the past, and what hasn’t. Are there any particular cliches within their industry that are overplayed? Or is there a general approach, tone or mood they don’t wish to associate with their brand and the project you are working on.

Know your assets

Once the brief is in the bag, you’ll have a bigger, and hopefully clearer picture of what you are trying to achieve.

In doing so, you’ll also need to outline – clearly – to the client, what you require from them. This is a part of the process that snags can often occur.

To use a basic and typical example – a client sending their logo to you. We’ve all been part of this horror story. ‘No problem’, comes the client’s friendly reply. Your fax machine starts beeping and whirring and through comes a slightly off-center, black and white reproduction of their logo. Face palm!

Take the time to talk to your client about the assets and copy you will require from them. Iron out any misunderstandings about what’s needed, in what format – and why.

What you will need will largely depend on your specific area of work. If you specialize in one area, why not put together a simple PDF guide that you can provide to clients that will help them through the process of collecting the required assets.

Educate your client; don’t lecture them. Be clear and concise, provide examples and work through a checklist together so that they understand the significance of providing the assets as part of the project’s success. Knowing this information will give the design project the right ground layer to begin building on.

Know your process

Again, this is dependent on the field in which you work, and your level of experience. If you’re a specialist, chances are you’ve seen every situation before. You’ve worked on every kind of job, you know the suppliers, deadlines and requirements.

But there’s always a chance to step back and look back at how you do what you do. Ask yourself:

• Do you spend too much time on one area, and ignore others?
• Do you communicate the steps to the client along the way?
• Do you use your time wisely? It’s often said we all work best under pressure. But could this load be lightened?
• Do you follow a logical sequence of steps, or do you float back and forth?
• Do you learn from mistakes and resolve to improve your overall process?

These three steps form part of what I do with each project, regardless of whether the client is new or existing. What works for you? How do you kick off your strategic planning process for each new project. How do you gather information and assets from new clients? And how have you improved your design process over time?

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by elenathewise.