The Creative Process

A series of steps you repeat every time you need to design something.
1. Why do we need this process? It improves consistency
2. Ability to plan and time your work
3. Raises the quality of your work
4. Communicate more effectively and in a more professional way

Steps of the Creative Process
Research
 the client and the competition. Get online,  look in magazines, listen to music, pay attention to the world around you...whatever you need to do to get inspired.

Brainstorm/Inspiration
Striving to be unique and innovative while still following the current trends, ensures a fresh and creative approach. Who's my client? What kind of message am I trying to communicate? What am I trying to tell my audience? What kind of color/style will work for this audience?

Sketch
Thumbnails, thumbnails, and more thumbnails. Sketch to get your thoughts out and to work through ideas.

Execute
Implement your ideas. Combine type and imagery into a well developed composition. Utilize design principles and visual organization guidelines to help. Try techniques, explore possible options, and analyze the outcome. If you get stuck, walk away and clear your head. If the piece doesn't look like you imagined, and it isn't working, try another idea. Forcing an idea won't look good.

Critique & Revise
Take a step back, (literally) and look at your design with an objective eye. Make sure the design effectively conveys the message to the intended target audience.