{"id":7172,"date":"2019-11-22T14:43:55","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T13:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/?p=7172"},"modified":"2019-11-22T14:43:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T13:43:55","slug":"describing-the-graphic-design-process-in-a-few-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/guides\/describing-the-graphic-design-process-in-a-few-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Describing the Graphic Design Process\u00a0 in a Few Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the Design Process in Graphic Design?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are someone who is interested in graphic design and is highly considering taking on a professional career in this field, one of the most crucial things that you will have to know and understand is how the graphic design process works. Graphic design involves a very intricate process, where every detail must be carefully thought about and selected in order to create a cohesive and stunning design.<\/p>\n

Essentially, the graphic design process consists of the following steps:<\/p>\n

1. The creative brief<\/p>\n

2. Graphic design research<\/p>\n

3. Research & brainstorm<\/p>\n

4. Build on your concepts<\/p>\n

5. Sketching<\/p>\n

6. Refining<\/p>\n

7. Presenting<\/p>\n

8. Revisions<\/p>\n

9. Final delivery<\/p>\n

The graphic design process is not without its challenges, and for those who are non-designers or are new to the industry, it may seem a bit complex to grasp. However, in this article, we are here to describe it all to you in the simplest manner. This way, you\u2019ll be able to gain a better understanding of what the graphic design process entails and how you can best execute each step in order to become a successful graphic designer.<\/p>\n

Graphic Design Process Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Creative Brief<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this very first stage, listening to your client\u2019s needs and expectations will be key to a successful design. Therefore, it\u2019s really important that you are attentive and are jotting down all the necessary information needed to execute the project.<\/p>\n

Read through your client\u2019s brief several times until you are sure that you\u2019ve developed a clear understanding of what their goals are. If possible, it would be even better to personally speak to them, whether that is through a meeting in person or a phone call. If you ever get the opportunity to do that, make sure to take advantage of it and ask as many questions as you can so that everything becomes crystal clear to you and that you are left with no confusion with what you have to do.<\/p>\n

When reading or listening to the creative brief, what\u2019s critical to take note of is the budget as well as the deadline of the project. After all, you could have the best graphic design skills, but if you are someone who cannot meet your client\u2019s deadlines, that will be something that will really impact your reputation and credibility as a professional designer.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve received this information, consider how long the design process may take so that you can factor this into your work plan and schedule. Lastly, be sure to look out for important keywords and deliverables such as your client\u2019s market, their brand\u2019s identity or tone of voice.<\/p>\n

Graphic Design Research <\/strong><\/p>\n

When conducting graphic design research, it is highly recommended to check out the latest design trends. Whether you are hired to design a poster, flyer, calendar, logo, or packaging design<\/a>, you should go out and explore to see what\u2019s already out there within your client\u2019s market.<\/p>\n

Going out to any public space such as grocery stores or malls, or even browsing through online platforms are great ways to gather better insights about your client\u2019s market as well as all the designs that already exist. This way, you\u2019ll know exactly how you can differentiate your design from those of your client\u2019s competitors. At the end of the day, you want to create unique designs that will make your client stand out from the rest.<\/p>\n

For example, if your client were to run a cosmetic business, you can always check out cosmetic stores to see what the current design trends are for this market. Be sure to also take note of designs that have been successful and those that are not as this will help set the right foundation for your own project. By conducting thorough graphic design research, you\u2019ll be able to figure out which design direction you should aim for.<\/p>\n

Research & Brainstorm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although you may have already done your research on current graphic design trends, it is going to be extremely important for you to conduct more research on your client\u2019s business. The research stage is crucial and must be taken seriously since it is also the step that requires the most time and effort. However, good research will always be worth it in the long-run as it will enable you to truly sync your creative ideas to answer the client\u2019s brief.<\/p>\n

So what should you research at this stage? Mainly anything that helps you to better understand your client\u2019s business. This can include their brand history, culture, vision, values, target consumers, and competitors. However, it would also be valuable to explore the market trends within your client\u2019s business, as well as the design styles and colors that you could potentially use.<\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve done your research, you should already be having a clear idea of how you can best satisfy your client\u2019s needs. You\u2019ve figured out exactly what elements you should within your design and what style you should go for, so now all that\u2019s left to do is to start brainstorming on some ideas for your project.<\/p>\n

Build On Your Concepts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve done your research, then it will be time to further build on it. During this stage, you should develop around 3-5 concepts in order to provide your clients with some design choices. When coming up with all these creative ideas, be sure to keep the brief at the back of your head. This way, you\u2019ll be able to satisfy your clients by aligning everything to it.<\/p>\n

In addition, make sure that these concepts are something that you love and are extremely proud of. After all, the worst thing you could do is to present your clients with something that you yourself don\u2019t even like.<\/p>\n

Sketching<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve now developed some concepts to present your client with. However, in order to best illustrate them to your client, you\u2019ll have to start sketching them out so that they know exactly what you mean. Once they actually see and understand what the design would or could look like, this will also allow you and your client to be on the same page.<\/p>\n

In this stage, you need to create rough drafts of your designs. Sketching helps graphic designers to visually communicate their ideas in a quick and efficient manner. Depending on the time constraints, you can either sketch out something really quickly or make it super detailed. However, the most common way to go about this is to quickly draw your ideas on paper using either a pen or pencil.<\/p>\n

At this point, you are free to draw out anything and there will be no limits since your drawing doesn\u2019t necessarily need to reach perfection. It\u2019s just more so that both you and your client get a clear idea of the main concept of the design. Draw out the symbols and motifs that you may want to use and experiment with different fonts and colors to find those that look best.<\/p>\n

While you are allowed to be as creative as want and create a variety of versions, ensure that you\u2019re still sticking to brief, keeping your client\u2019s goals and objectives in mind. This will save you lots of time later in the process since you won\u2019t have to go back to square one and fix everything.<\/p>\n

Refining<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next, you have to refine your drafts. You can do this by creating digital illustrations of your designs using software like Adobe Illustrator. By digitalizing your designs, your client will be able to get an even better picture of what the final design would look like.<\/p>\n

If needed, discuss with your client what they want to see and expect from these digital designs since you\u2019ll be at a point near finalization. To save you from having to redo a lot of the things, make sure you develop your design accordingly to your client\u2019s feedback so that you\u2019ll be ready to present the best final versions to them in the next stage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Presenting<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve finally finalized your design concepts digitally, so now it is time to present your work to your clients. When presenting work to your client, always make sure that you are delivering and explaining every single aspect of your project in the best way.<\/p>\n

During this step of the graphic design process, it will also be the time where you\u2019ll most likely receive even more feedback from your client. This is the prime time to gather as much feedback and constructive criticism as you can, not the time to be too proud of your work. Feedback is what\u2019s going to help improve your design to fit your client\u2019s needs, and at the end of the day, you need to execute your project in ways that will best satisfy your client so that you can help their business succeed.<\/p>\n

Revisions<\/strong><\/p>\n

By this point, your client would\u2019ve already chosen the design that they love most, and this will be the one that you will have to go back and revise. Discuss with your client if there is anything else they\u2019d like to see improve and use this feedback to make the necessary changes. Ideally, as you\u2019ve already developed and refined your ideas earlier, the changes during step shouldn\u2019t be too drastic.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, it can involve changing the color or shade of the design, scaling, maybe even choosing a different font. However, stylistically, the overall design concept should be kept the same. The revision stage is not about changing the entire design, but rather making minor tweaks to perfect it.<\/p>\n

Final Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that everything has been revised, you\u2019ll have to make the final delivery of the project. Once done, you can head over and begin the production stage. Whether the design is supposed to be printed or used on digital media, you need to make sure to double-check everything beforehand.<\/p>\n

Take a careful look at the scale, sizing, as well as all the file formats. This way you can be sure that everything is in its highest quality and that you will be able to deliver the necessary files to your clients. Otherwise, if there is an error and the design gets sent for production, this could end up being a huge waste of money and time. All in all, just make sure that everything is complete and ready to go prior to the production stage.<\/p>\n

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