Design is a process, not the result
April 11, 2008 08:35
What makes a design great? I believe that the answer is not as obvious as it appears. A successful and lasting design piece should be the outcome of in depth research and experimentation rather than the sum of the latest trends. I will try to expand more on this idea referring in particular to logo design.
It’s becoming obvious to me that a potential client in search of a logo designer is not aware of the process of creating a logo. This is not about firing up Illustrator and playing with some shapes for an hour. It’s not about incorporating a swirl just because it’s trendy to have a swirl in the logo. It may be trendy now but will you still be satisfied in 2 years?
The first step in the design process should be the research. As a designer you have to do your homework! Learn about the client. Who is the competition? What is the intended audience? What are the particularities of his industry? Try to understand the problem that needs to be solved.
The second step should be to define and to get decision making criteria approved.
Now that there is a good understanding of the problem we can proceed to the next step: Creative Exploration. This is the time to explore every idea. A paper and a pen should be enough at this stage. Resist the temptation of going digitally from the beginning. Also try not to refine the ideas too much. Explore as much as you can then select the ideas that should be further developed.
A logo should be representative for the client, not something to be changed every year.
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