The Skaaren Design Blog

“It’s not the designer’s job to come up with the right solution, but rather to eliminate all the wrong ones.”

Nothing in the design profession is more contentious than the ‘creative process.’

The creative process is, simply put, the steps used to manage a project and outline goals.  The correct creative process makes the management of any given project simpler, the objectives clearer for all people involved (including your clients) and, if used properly, something that will tangibly increase productivity.

I can think of more than a few Account Executives and Strategic Directors that are going to roll their eyes at this post, dismissing the ideas presented here as an unnecessary distraction between signing one client and cold-calling the next – which is, of course, an embarrassing reaction considering the business they are in.

So, let’s not waste a lot of time pointing fingers and placing blame.  Let’s just dive right into it.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS WILL:

Keep everyone on the same page, YES, even your clients!
A well-thought out creative process not only breaks down complicated projects, but also educates the uninformed along the way. This gives you an opportunity to show your clients what you’re doing for them, why you’re doing it, and it gives them an opportunity to give approval at appropriate stages throughout the project, preventing later back-tracking. Let’s face it; an educated client is a happier, more satisfied client.

Clearly track and record all the work you’ve done for your client.
Recording your work (i.e. research, mood boards, drafts, etc.) helps explain your hourly rate and what the client is paying for. If used correctly, these records can actually be used as a selling point in new business pitches.

I’m often asked, “How do you sell your ideas?” I honestly believe it starts with having the proper information on hand to back up the decisions that you have made in the work that you have done.

Keep your team and clients accountable for decisions.
Nothing is worse than when something goes wrong, or when someone makes a mistake. Now, it’s impossible to guarantee an error-free work environment. But, when a mistake is made, you would be crazy not to want to know what happened and during what part of the process the mistake was made in order to prevent similar mishaps in the future. A good creative process is built around a step-by-step process that requires a sign-off from someone on the team (or from the client, depending on the circumstance) responsible for each step. These controls build in an extra level of accountability.  If a project moves on to the next step without the proper approval, any team member throughout the process can tell simply by looking at what sign-offs were or were not made.

WHAT THE CREATIVE PROCESS WILL NOT DO:

It will not make you more creative
It will, however, force you to ask the right questions along the way, which can only lead to a better product.

It will not manage itself.
Leadership is needed for the creative process to work. This means overall responsibility for a project is given to the firm’s senior employees, allowing new hires or employees with less experience to learn proper procedures through a well-structured training ground. Competent leadership will go a long way in building a team that works well together.

It will not solve all your problems.
This is the most common excuse employees will have for not using the creative process. All creative endeavors need direction if they are going to be effective (read: profitable) for your company.

One size will not fit all.
Another common mistake is thinking that the creative process is a rigid set of rules. We have to understand that every company and every project can vary greatly. Creating a process with broad enough steps to allow for interpretation is a must. This is why leadership is so important. Someone with a good understanding of how a project starts and is finished inside the company is needed to manage every project. Having someone who clearly understands the implications for how each step effects the next is a must.

 Lock your company into one way of doing things.
The best creative processes are flexible and allow for interpretation.  They allow changes to be made on the fly depending on the project’s scope and demands. Good processes will make every project more manageable and easier for a creative team to navigate. Again, it’s all about leadership, understanding and executing as a team.

THE PROCESS ITSELF.

So if you’re not selling process, what exactly are you selling?

The following is a step by step breakdown of the “generic” creative process. Remember this is just an outline.  Your firm’s creative process can be more or less detailed depending on the type of projects or clients you work with.

Step 1. Administration / Define the Problem
This is an easy one. No one should work without a contract or clearly defined expectations around the project’s scope. Outlining who is responsible for what, and in what time frame, is a must. This is the time to get all legal matters handled. It is also the best time to outline how you and the client will work together, how often communication will take place, and at what interval decisions and milestones will be signed-off and discussed.

Step 2. Research
It goes without saying that you need information before you can solve any creative problem. The amount of research you will need to do, and the time it will take you to get it, will obviously depend on the size, scope, and budget of the project. But, this is a crucial step and should not be skipped.

Step 3. Ideation
One of the things that stuck with me since my school years was something a professor once told me: “It’s not the designer’s job to come up with the right solution, but rather to eliminate all the wrong ones.” That always made a lot of sense to me. And you can’t really do that without a fair amount of time and a great deal of exploration. One of the biggest mistakes designers make is that they “think” they know the answer to a problem without any prior research. It’s been my experience that a more effective route is to find out what actually solves the problem at hand, so you can tell the client you know with certainty.

Step 4. Judgment
If there is one step that is usually missed or skipped it’s this one. All too often in the modern age of “we needed this done yesterday,” designers try to impress the client with doing things quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that things need to get done in a timely matter, but never underestimate how powerful educating the client on how doing things right can be. If done right this can be another selling point and something that can make you or your company standout from the competition.  The judgment phase should really be used to take a look back at all the goals and requirements outlined in step 1. You have to have the ability to be honest with yourself and be willing to take a step back if the project demands it.

Step 5. Execution
If you have done the first four steps correctly, this step is an easy one. You simply have to build exactly what you proposed to the client as a solution to the definition of the problem that you outlined in step one. The solution should be backed up by your research from step two. Proven by your exploration in step three. Defended by your examination in step four. And now you’re simply executing work that has been defined, researched, explored, conceptualized and questioned. All the while the client has been educated, informed and kept in the loop, and has made key decisions with you or your team at the right pre-scheduled moments.

STEP 6. Feedback
The final step of any successful creative process is defining and understanding success.  Eventually the project you and or your team just finished will be released into the world. You need to know how to measure that success and document it. If, worst case scenario, success is not met, how will you adapt to help solve the problem. Remember that design should be a solution to a problem not a catalyst for more of them.

In closing, I want to challenge you to think about the following statement:

As a graphic designer, I give clients the final design for free. What they’re paying for is the time, research, experience, and process I applied to the problem so that I could solve it. That’s what makes design valuable, not whether or not it’s “good” or “bad.” Those terms are too subjective to be of any use to us. What we need to do is find appropriate solutions to problems. That takes time, and a proven well thought out process. So if you’re not selling process, what exactly are you selling?

I look forward to your comments and feedback.

If you would like to download Skaaren Design’s basic outline for the Creative Process click here.