THE DESIGN PROCESS
Planning
DBM’s first duty is to listen and gather the facts. The more information we can get from a client about his needs, goals and personal tastes, the easier and more cost-effective it will be to arrive at the appropriate design solution. We listen and adjust through the duration of the project!
The more information clients can provide about their competition and customers, the better we can arrive at effective design that will target customers' interests and increase their response. This makes our job easier by letting me know what style of graphics will evoke the best response.
At this stage it's often challenging to convey visual ideas through verbal communication. What I think of as blue might be a drastically different color than a clients imagine in his mind's eye. Before a meeting, I ask my clients to look at websites, magazines and any other tangible elements that help illustrate the look and feel they want to achieve. This ensures that we are communicating the same visual ideas before work begins. If you prefer, or don’t have time, Designs by Mote, Inc. will do this for you.
It's just as important that the client listens to a designer's input. During my over 20 years of professional design experience, I've seen firsthand which design solutions work and which don't. However, a client must live with a design long after it leaves my desk, so it's just as important that the client be comfortable with the results. A good designer will arrive at a balance that both satisfies a client's personal tastes as well as conveys an image that encourages customer response.
Other considerations that will affect the final design are budget and deadline. One of the most common challenges for a designer is to create a lavish looking design that's also cost-effective. A talented designer can produce a two-color brochure that's just as appealing as a full-color version. Timing is everything, so it's important to provide prompt, reliable turnaround to keep a client's marketing plan in motion. When a project is on a tight schedule, choosing the appropriate printing and production options can save days, even weeks.
Execution
After talking, listening, brainstorming and sketches, the "comping" stage commences. A "comprehensive" or "comp" is a proof which roughly illustrates what the final product will look like. To expedite this phase, I often post comps on the web, or email Acrobat (pdf) files to my clients for review.
For printed projects, results may vary somewhat from its representation on a computer screen. I recommend my clients keep a Pantone Color Guide on hand so that I can provide the a legend of Pantone colors and give them an accurate idea of how the final printed product will look. Other options include printing color laser or dye sublimation proofs, depending on time and budget. It's always best to spend a little extra time and money to review accurate proofs at the comping stage and avoid expensive alterations during the pre-press and printing phases.
Once the comps have been reviewed, it's time to enter the alteration stage. Alterations cost time and money, so it's best to minimize this stage as best possible. As you might expect, extra effort during the planning stage will help save effort during the alteration stage. For certain projects, numerous alterations are unavoidable. If this is the case, I make every effort to expedite the changes in order to keep the project on track. On occasion, the amount of alterations will exceed the original agreement. When it's obvious this is going to happen, I contact my clients immediately to discuss the situation. I believe in frequent communication to keep my clients continually informed of their project's status.
After final approval, the production phase brings the project to its finish. For web design, this entails publishing the website on the client's server and double checking to make sure it's functioning correctly. For print work, technical preparations are made to hand the completed design over to a pre-press shop, printer, or other fabricator. After the design work has left my desk, my work is not done until the vendor's production has been overseen and the project is completed to the client's satisfaction.
wmote@thinkdbm.com
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