Whenever I'm working on my next design or illustration project, I start by listening–the brand, the audience, and keeping the end goal in mind–then, I translate that into a design into something that's bold and daring enough to stand out while also being disciplined enough to stay on brand, from the first rough sketch to the final design.
I like to start out by carefully reading the brief–understand what the client is asking for, who the work needs to reach, and what success looks like for them.
From there, I move onto creating some initial rough sketch ideas on my tablet to explore directions quickly prior to committing time to any single idea.
After sketching, I like to bring a handful of early directions and ideas to the client, walk them through my thought-process being each one, then listen closely to which concepts make more sense and resonate more.
Using the client's feedback–along with any additional inspiration–I start working on developing the strongest direction into a more polished and fully fleshed out draft.
After refining and polishing the first draft, I like to pull together a process book that documents my entire thinking throughout the project and present it to my clients, explaining the choices behind it and gathering their reactions, answering questions, and listening to their preferences.
After presenting my work to the client and receiving their feedback, I then apply those revisions to the final design and keep polishing it until it's completely aligned with the client's vision.
Once approved, I export the final files into whatever format the project calls for–PNG, PDF, or print-ready files–ready for use. Additionally, I always backup and keep a copy of the original design file in case it needs to be changed or updated to fit the vision.
