Design Process… it is something that changes often. It is different from project to project because the way you draw inspiration is different every time. I agree with most of the article, I use a lot of the same steps to get to the final design.
It usually starts with research. Who is it for? Who is going to see it? What do they need to take away from it? What will my client like? What are some appropriate color schemes and typefaces? What are competitors doing? and so on, etc., etc.
From there, I will drive around, read books, look at magazines, take pictures, talk to people, draw, go shopping at a store with neat little trinkets.. and eventually from somewhere in life I will get a concept going in my head from what I’ve seen or heard. I keep a visual journal of magazine ads, pictures I’ve seen, websites I liked, and other things and I refer to it often if I can’t figure out my next step. Ideas don’t always come right away.. sometimes they come in the middle of the night, so I try to keep paper and a pen by my bed. I don’t think that this part of the design process can actually be defined. We are all different and are exposed to different things, therefor we get ideas from different places and people.
After that, I generally will sketch something, big or small, doesn’t matter. Usually it’s on a plain piece of computer paper because my sketchbook pretty much stays in my car on accident haha. Not only do I sketch the entire concept, I put arrows and explain what I was thinking about in caveman terms so if I don’t get back to it for a while I still remember what I was thinking. Then, I will sketch out those things in more detail in their own thumbnails or whatever.
Next, I jump to imagery. I can’t help it 
I will draw a vector illustration or draw it on paper and scan it in. Sometimes this step is wasted because i end up not using what I did, but the fact that I put something into the computer jump starts me.
Around the same time I will explore type. Sometimes I draw it myself, others times I will make a page like the one in the article with dozens and dozens of faces to choose from. I will then combine type and imagery.
After I have everything I need, I usually wait a day or two.. get out and think about other things or other projects and then come back and critique my own work. I show it to people and get their opinions and THEN i start my layout.
The process goes back and forth, in and out of order. Like I said, I don’t think I know any designer that has the same process every time. Anyway, it was a good article. I hadn’t thought about my own process before, so I appreciated the assignment to take time to evaluate mine.
XO
jovietajane said
I think it is interesting how you stop and wait for a day or two and then start working on the execution. I have trouble to start anything, but when its up and running, i have trouble to let myself slow down and actually step back and look at what I’ve accomplished. I think it is actually a good way to step back and not overwork myself once in a while! I’ll definitely try this one, and who knows, maybe it suits me!
I think it is super cute that you can’t help but draw a vector illustration and actually ended up not using it. I think you should just keep doing it and then make a book with title ” the ones that didn’t make it.”
it will be so cute and hillarious at the same time. ;p
hahaha. and I love your tag! britney spears? really? haha.
talking about britney spears, Mr.Abraham was using her as an example of “brand” going crazy in corporate indentity class. It was pretty funny. ( OKAY, ADD i’m OFF track.)
I think that is it… hmmm. yeah, that is it! good JOB cayyysee.
love you.
Jesus said
Everything you had to say was interesting n a way. Good job on self evaluating by the way. But I’d like to get a little deeper then just I liked the article or no you didnt like the article. For instance when you are driving around, how do you decide which store you are going to stop at and what thing s you are going to look at. Does your design influence your mood at all? If so in what way? and why do you think that is? You have evaluated the process and what you do to get the whole thing accomplished but what about the transition you make from start to finish? do you feel you have changed? or accomplished something, or is it jut another random project that you have completed and you are ready to move to the next one?