Recently I was reminded of something that constantly bugged me while at college and uni.
My design lectures would constantly be trying to get all the students to follow a design process, e.g. how you should start any design with brainstorming, then sketch some rough ideas before moving the ideas onto a computer and so on! When it came to showing them my work they always asked about if I’d followed their design process and I used to tell them that I did…but I was lying. I felt silly admitting the truth, which was – I didn’t really have a design process… at least not in a conventional sort of way and not one I ever repeated on a regular basis.
But you know what? After a few years working solidly in the design industry, I’ve come to a conclusion: There is no such thing as a conventional design process. Different kinds of design work requires different methods and all graphic designers are equally different. Each designer has their own unique and individual style and therefore they naturally have different approaches when approaching a design job. So, I guess what I’m trying to point out from this piece of rambling text is: don’t ever think you’re not doing it correctly or that you should be following a set of rules that some other design guru has laid out. If it works for you, then that’s fine.
The moral of the story
Design processes are strange creatures and we can learn a lot from each other by sharing them, but it’s really the outcome that matters. So, when it comes to a functional design process that actually has a positive effect on my work, I do it my way and you should do it in yours.