Process Empowers Great Design

06.13.24

By Team IVC

Process Empowers Great Design

Two ingredients are vital to visual design: creativity and process. While a lot of professionals can exhibit creativity, a surprising few embrace the essentials of effective process: planning, communication and collaboration.

Some might say that process constrains creativity. On the contrary, structure emboldens creativity, giving artists clear insights, latitude and license to deliver work that’s smart, evocative, consistently on-brand and on-trend, and sometimes mind-blowingly brilliant. The result is captivating creative that delights and engages audiences.

Read on for the key elements we use when partnering with clients on projects:

The creative brief

Clearly define deliverables. Start with a creative brief, detailing everything from objectives to audiences, timelines, budgets media and more. Briefs should be efficient but can never contain enough detail. Make sure to get sign-off from all interested stakeholders. As the brief takes life, return to it to make sure the vision is still viable, and the team is on-track.

Get into the weeds, it’s important. To ensure accurate delivery, make sure designers receive accurate specifications as soon as possible, including:

• ·      Pixel counts and dimensions for each medium

• ·      Printing methods and materials

• ·      Needs for areas dedicated to other needs (e.g. closed-captioning, sponsor logos, etc.)

 Craft a scope of work. Be transparent on every step of the journey and the essentials to bring it to life. This can include:

• ·      Timelines and milestones, especially for ultimate deliverables

• ·      Resource allocation

• ·      Priorities and contingencies

• ·      Realistic approaches to revision management and limits

• ·      Revise RACI as scope expands or contracts

Get everything on the table

Start with organized, deliberate onboarding, based on the information you have at this early stage. It’s important to determine the tools that will streamline the entire project, things like:

• ·      Decision process: decision makers, file protocols and turnaround times

• ·      Determine the use of File Sharing Platforms (e.g., Asana, Box, Basecamp, etc.)

• ·      Decide how you want to communicate on platforms (e.g., Teams, Slack, email, etc.)

• ·      Other design resources, both internal and external

• ·      Roles and responsibilities (e.g., RACI)

Share everything. Designers need to know a lot, and quickly. In early meetings, designers establish a sort of common design vernacular with clients. These initial phases of collaboration might include workshops and trend presentations that blend creative with strategy, brand direction with business outcomes. At this point, it’s helpful to share things:

• ·      Style and brand guides

• ·      Recent design examples and better practices

• ·      Business and strategic objectives

• ·      Objectives specific to this project

• ·      Brand voice and narrative direction

Establish expectations. How vast is the scope? How many rounds of explorations are there? A simple theme graphic or an entire, omni-channel campaign. It might be too early to get specific, but it’s helpful to know how large the program might become. It’s also helpful to understand potential mediums for the project, like:

• ·      Digital, apps and games

• ·      Motion

• ·      Print, large-scale and -small

• ·      Presentations

• ·      Broadcast

• ·      Social

• ·      Apparel

Success metrics should also be addressed. What is this project intended to achieve and how will we best understand its actual impact?

Chart a plan for success

Enable constant and consistent communication. Whether for a weeklong engagement or many months -- plans change, brands evolve, and objectives scale. Establish a cadence for meetings but make room and time for back-channel communications as well. Be sure to cover specific channels for:

• ·      Traffic management

• ·      Tracking, reporting and frequent burn reports

• ·      Impact of scope changes on budgets and timeline

Cost considerations

Everyone’s favorite word: Budgets. This often inspires reality checks and rounds of compromise. While we all want to know the impact immediately, take care to understand the actual cost and time implications and be prepared to convey them clearly.

Deliver the goods

Prepare to share in an accurate and streamlined fashion, beginning with quality assurance on the vendor/designer side. Other matters to address:

• ·      Confirm guidance on file types, pixel counts and other technical specs. Double-check that decision makers can open applicable file types or have them converted to a readable file type

• ·      Provide an accessible and secure location for sharing files

• ·      Ensure decision makers are available and prepared to review and respond within the prescribed window and that feedback cycles are productive and additive

• ·      When archiving all final files, create a universal naming convention that’s both simple to read and search

Design teams work at their best and brightest when process drives creativity (rather than the other way around). It might feel a little overwhelming at first – as every great journey does – but in time, designers, clients and audiences will appreciate the positive evolution in workflow, productivity and quality.

To explore how to approach your programs and experiences with design-forward thinking, contact your InVision account director or info@iv.com today.