Posted on by marmar20545

Research Task 1.2: Workflow

Brief

Now that you have researched and explored new directions and areas of graphic design practice, we want you to Research and describe the workflow and process of design initiation, development and testing that takes place between a client, a design agency and the end user.
Write a list or create a basic flow diagram of your findings and save for possible reference later in the project. Use quotes from professionals which support your findings. To start with, use any relevant material that emerged in Case Study one and Consider the following:
● Who are you working for?
● Where do ideas come from?
● What is research and what forms can it take? ● How are design proposals presented?
● How are proposals tested with the end user?
Once you have done this, upload your findings to your learning log.

Research

I started with searching and watching some contents that made by some professional Graphic designers via YouTube and their blogs as well as watching the case study by Richard Smith.

What Is the Graphic Design Workflow Process?

The graphic design workflow process is a list of ordered steps a designer uses to create a piece of content. The steps flow in a specific order to create the best content possible. It should meet the brand’s or client’s end goals. The graphic design workflow process is equal parts creative and professional. The creative side includes things like ideation and sketching. On the professional side, designers do research, problem solve, and revise the final product. The exact process and number of steps may differ by company or designer.

The 10-Step Graphic Design Workflow Process

It’s important to have a graphic design workflow framework. But like most other things in content marketing, yours can be customizable. If this appeals to you, we recommend you add—not delete or reorder—steps from the workflow we explore below. We’ve included the primary steps for every design process. They ensure you’re hitting all key development and collaboration points. Use these steps to build your graphic design workflow process:

1. Build a Creative Brief

The creative brief, also called the design brief, is like an intake survey for each project. Use it for every campaign, whether you’re working with your brand’s content team or a client. This document helps the designer know the exact project specifications for each piece. You can collect information for the brief in two ways. One option is to meet with the team and client yourself. Ask all necessary questions and fill out the form. Doing it this way allows you to ask follow-up questions at the moment. This may provide more information about the project expectations.

Another option is to send a blank design brief document to the content team or client. Relevant stakeholders can fill it out and return it. This option may work best if you’re on a deadline. You may also use it for clients with whom you’ve worked on other projects. With the second option, it’s important to review the information and ask for clarity where you need it.

This step allows you to understand each project. It displays how each piece helps the overall marketing strategy. Download our Content Marketing Pyramid eBook to learn more about how different content types build a brand image. This resource helps you identify the value of content in any marketing strategy. It also gets into the minds of clients to discover what makes them more likely to choose your brand.

2. Set a Timeline

Use the information from the design brief to set a project timeline. First, review the document and clarify any unclear information with the content team or client. Any changes to the brief could skew that timeline if you don’t address them. Let’s say you’re developing an infographic. Make sure the writing team completes the copy needs before you design. It would be a waste of time to design the whole thing if the information changes before publication.

Give clear windows for the duration of each part of the process. Use data from previous graphic design projects to estimate how long each phase takes. During this step, you can also set deadlines and delivery dates.

3. Research Your Design

The graphic design research phase works the same as it does in other forms of content creation. How much research you do may depend on how specific the client is with the creative brief. Some designers may have more freedom than others to choose elements or topics. During this phase, it’s helpful to focus on areas like:

  • Understanding the use and value of the topic or service you’re promoting
  • Reviewing competitor’s designs
  • Determining the brand’s market positioning
  • Exploring the visual media preferences of your target audience
  • Finding where your target audience consumes content
  • Reviewing graphic art principles and design trends
  • Collecting inspirational content and images

Research allows you to find what’s popular with competitors and your target audience. It also presents ideas you can repurpose—not copy—for your own projects. Look for ideas on websites, social media channels, and products and packaging. You may not use everything you collect during the research phase in the last design. It’s still important to record everything you find useful. This may save you from having to return to the research stage later if you don’t have enough information.

4. Prepare Drafts

The drafting phase may differ depending on the type of content you create. Infographics and custom illustrations may involve sketching. Animated videos or interactive media may include storyboards or unpolished demo reels. Drafts should communicate what the team or client asked for in the brief. But it should also be unique from other things you found in your research. The more extensive the project, the more drafts you may have to complete before you move to the next phase.

5. Conduct a Review

Get a team or client review before you move from drafting to the design phase. This allows stakeholders to provide their first thoughts and comments on the drafts. What would happen if you didn’t stop for a review before moving into the thick of the design? You may waste valuable time and effort creating something the client no longer wants. It’s easier to change a draft than to overhaul a finished design. You may repeat this review process many times before moving to the design stage.

6. Create the Design

Take everything you’ve learned from research and feedback and start the polished design. Use graphic design principles and technical skills to create the best-looking visual. Make sure you can share the finished product in the desired file format. Like a writer does a self-edit on a piece before submission, a designer can do a self-critique. Look your piece over before submitting it for final feedback and approval.

7. Collect Feedback

Graphic designs go through another round of team or client feedback before finalization. This is to make sure the creation meets the stakeholders’ visions. Like the feedback following the drafts stage, this step may take many cycles. Often, the designer submits the piece to the right stakeholder to review. Then they make requested changes before submitting it again. This process continues until the stakeholders finish their change requests.

8. Complete the Design

This step might sound official, even daunting. But completing the design is a simple process. Save a finished copy as the correct file format for delivery. Create a backup of the workable design document and the finished copy. Store them in two or more places, like on your device and a shared drive.

Keeping the workable document lets you go back and make more changes later. What if your team wants to update an infographic every year? Then you won’t have to start from scratch each time. Duplicating the finished copy lets you have a backup in case of accidental deletion.

9. Deliver the Content

Send the design to your team or client based on the instructions from the creative brief. The type of project may influence how you share it. For example, infographics or custom illustrations may come in photo or PDF formats. You can share them on a drive or send them through email. Dynamic content, like interactive media, may have a larger file size. You may have to deliver it in pieces, or on a hard disc. Some clients may request that your agency publish or upload the content for them.

10. Review Your Process

Review each project following delivery. Did you have enough time for each phase? Were there more revisions than expected? Could you add extra questions to your brief document to make things clearer? Another thing to consider is client or team satisfaction. Were they happy with the outcome? Why or why not? Reviewing and recording this information at the end of each project helps you prepare more thoroughly for the next.

Self – reflection

After this research task, it’s clear to me that a good design process is key to delivering high-quality work that meets the client’s needs and expectations.

This workflow helps keep the design process smooth and ensures that the client is involved at key stages. From research to final delivery, each step is aimed at creating thoughtful, effective designs that meet the project’s goals.

Resources

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