 b i g ide as smart design
i t s ta r t s
here Every design starts as an idea; a small, tiny dot of thought. From there, it grows as it is nurtured into a concept worthy of great design. After the concept is solidified, the design process can begin. What follows is lots of thinking, followed by lots of designing, followed by even more designing. Then comes refinement and finally, the final execution. This evolution from idea to final design is the theme of this booklet. As the design process is different for each designer, this is my personal take on the process. And to make things a bit more interesting, I have weaved into this theme, the six concepts from Calvino’s Six Memos for the Next Millennium. This booklet is both an exploration and a process, so let’s see what happens.
lots of
ide as The first step in any process is brainstorming. This is the time to generate as many ideas as possible, without inhibition or judgement. You never want to censor yourself, because you never know which initial concept will lead to a sucessful design. The ideas need not be fully evolved concepts. Conceptually light ideas are fine at this stage.
Once a significant number of ideas have been laid out, it is then time to narrow down the ideas into a singular concept. Usually, several smaller ideas can combine to form a solid concept. It is not uncommon to find yourself taking bits and pieces from several initial ideas
in order to build a more solid concept. In fact, you might find that through many ideas, a single idea starts to become visible. Your end goal is to turn an idea into a clear visual message. As you near this goal, a design direction will start to take shape.
k ee p i n g i t
simple Now that an idea has been solidified, and a design direction has started to form, it’s time to trim the fat. The best messages are fast and simple; they are quick. The same can be said of the design. While decorative elements are nice, you ulitmately want the design to communicate the message in a concise manner. Depending on the medium, you may only have a few seconds to grab the viewers attention, and then perhaps a few seconds more to get the point across. Which is why, the less cluttered the design, the better.
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Next comes the refinement stage of the design. In this phase, you want to take a closer look at all aspects of your design. Ask yourself: Is the design appropriate for the content? Does it communicate the message effectively?
refinement
This is also the time to make sure that you have been as precise as possible in your technical execution of the design. Craftsmanship is just as important as the design concept and should not be overlooked. Before proceeding, double check that the design elements are exactly as they should be, both in style and placement.
cre ating
a
system Now that the design has been essentially finalized, it can move on to the muliplication stage. This involves applying the design to a larger system of collateral. The type of collateral depends on the project, but it can include items ranging from packaging, to a poster, to a website. Whatever the application, it is important to make sure the system resembles a branded, cohesive whole.
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m aking it
fi n a l Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end! Well, almost. Before you send off the final product, it’s always a good idea to do one last check. The purpose of the final check is to make sure that all areas of the design are aesthetically consistent with each other. With all the refining and various design versions, sometimes the smaller elements get lost in the mix. So, do one last look-over. Make sure your type styles are consistent and the colors are correct. Once you are satisfied, then that’s it. You’re done!
de s i g n ed by r a c h e l G a l i n d o