So you have been assigned with a branding project – it is really a challenging task for any of the designer in which you have a blank canvas in the field of infinite possibilities . Well your very first goal as a designer is to take the task as a challenge , and be crazy to start a new project which will welcome appreciation of your work , and you can showcase your best work to the world .
In my 7 year of experience of working with various clients starting from startup to an enterprise client , i have discovered series of designing techniques to deliver the best in designing . As a designer we should always think for the client , so that client can easily digest with the design and we can receive our appreciation part .
Here is the R&D done during the day at Winklix
ASSEMBLE THE TROOPS
As a team leader in Designing Team in Winklix , I am a big believer in having a creative process , a process that can help the designer to perform best at their expertise level , and thereby giving the best output possible . We try to set up the system our designers will get to know exactly what they need to focus on , what are the client expectation and how to present to the client in such a way that client get influenced with our work .
The key to success in field of designing is deep evaluation of the previous projects . Once done with the designing , our team held a short meeting with the designing team to discuss the project in deep and welcoming any suggestions , thus helping us in reviewing our work and making the improvement thereon .
The very first thing that we do is calculation of resources required to do any particular project , and how long does it will take to complete the project . To evaluate we love to keep an eye on how much project in hand we have right now in our hand together with the capability of our team member . It is always proven to be beneficial to set goals based on the number of resources available , as by this we will always to able to accomplished client goals and received thumbs up from them . If we are able to achieve those goals , then we are able to manage client expectation . At the same time , we should also focus on the ability of our team member to do the work accordingly to their skills . The ultimate goal of any designer is to ” Maximising efficiency while producing quality end product ” .
GETTING TO KNOW THE PROJECT
Before cooking the food into spicy one , you must have in-depth knowledge about the project , for which you must speak with the client to hear about their ideas , future goals and their targeted market , along with the app design prototype they are having in their mind . In order to get the right information a small question like what are your core values ? What are your targeted audience ? will definitely add cheesiness before the actual process starts . This helps both the parties to discuss and execute the ideas of the client into reality upto their expectation .
The answer to above questioner blows light bulb of the designer . At this point designing team gather all the approaches that could be taken to begin with the idea . This is one of my favourite stage job – The Unknown .
PUTTING PENCIL TO PAPER
Putting all the ideas after collection on a piece of paper is one of the toughest phase to move on . Initially designers have freedom to think creatively , and to move to in any direction they want as per the project end goal in their mind . The client has more likely tasked you with ” I want something unique , that haven’t been seen before ” .
So now the question arises is where do you want to start with ? Will you jump straight onto your mac , open illustrator and start crafting . You can , but my experience does not say it all . Designer who straight away start with the design , will be limited by the tools available , and you will definitely have no idea of the colour theme to choose from together with the fonts which will look awesome in the design . It is preferable to but down a rough sketch on the piece of paper with the pencil and then start with your illustrator part to get the output as desired , which is solid and real to interact with . Pencil articulate ideas without any restriction .
Don’t put me wrong , but it is next to impossible to bring your idea into reality without a Mac and a creative programming we know and love . The next step is to play with some combination of colours using correct tool in illustrator to develop your idea . You can also browse with the fonts that suits your identity rather than using only predefined assets .
So in my opinion the only way to start the branding project is to start with a pencil and paper . We can go to any direction without any resection , and it is the main benefit of it , without thinking of which direction is right or wrong .
Our main focus is to give our client the cheesy pizza they desire , and we can start our party night after the work .
DEVELOP AND REFINE
The initial exploration help us to explore endless ideas . This is the point our team deeply reviews the things we have made and tries to search whether we have missed some great opportunity ? Then we try to search with every angle and tries to find an angle which might have not been explored yet .
We held the weekly meeting with our designing team to come up with new ideas and challenges that they might be currently facing , as compromising with our client ideas are not in our veins . We always be on our client expectation , as we know client has chosen us from among the numerous option available in the market , and thus has bought us for a reason . Client has trusted in our team ability to perform the work , and so we accept it as a challenge to give them a app that they can’t live without .
It is always proven beneficial to save on your previous steps of designing progress in old folders rather than deleting the same for any future reference . Our team are curious to get our ideas and realistic view to be checked by our client , so that they can start exploring the world of endless opportunity in tech field . Once we are satisfied with our design , we explore the magic to our clients .
So next time when you are starting your project , think twice , Am I ready ? Do I have clear understanding of all the things ? Have i worked on client requirement ? And most importantly ” Do you have pencil in your hand instead of a mouse ” !!
When It Comes To App Design, It’s A Matter of Process
