My graduate studies have made me question everything I’ve learned in my undergraduate studies and in the design industry as a whole. Being the fastest to complete a design project doesn’t necessarily make you the best, but it does get the invoice paid. The design process seems to have been condensed into a simple input/output scenario; the client tells you what they want and if you’re lucky, you’ll give them what they want on the first try with no revisions. Up until this point, that has always been my goal.

Our microwave society thrives on being the quickest and most convenient.

At previous design agency jobs, the research portion of the design process wasn’t counted against the hours that I spent on the actual design of the project. The research was something I should’ve done in my spare time, it wasn’t seen as actual or real work. The only thing that mattered was the deliverable file. I believe that this is a symptom of hourly employment. As I’m learning, the design process involves much more than spitting out the client’s demands in a visually pleasing format. I believe that this kind of thinking turns designers into makers but prevents them from becoming masters at their craft.

Our microwave society thrives on being the quickest and most convenient. This is why I abhor sites like Fiverr that seem to take the validity and necessity out of the design process and ultimately, the designer themselves. I’ve seen the effects of cheap, quick designs and I’ve even had to go back and fix or redo what seemed like the easiest solution at the time. In the end, I think the client suffers the most from this kind of microwave thinking because they don’t always get the best product in the end. I have even been reprimanded by one of my clients a few months ago because I did something quickly to get them out of my hair. They knew that it wasn’t my best work and called me out on it. I apologized and redid the project with the quality they deserved. We have to ask ourselves, “Is that idea really the one that’s going to help them change the world?” As designers, we are the catalysts that help our clients change the world. I don’t just want to be a maker, I strive to become a master!

This is where human-centered design comes in. Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO states, “Human-centered design is all about building a deep empathy with the people you’re designing for” (Design Kit, 2018). This design process takes the focus off of the deliverable and puts the focus back on the clients we’re designing for. This process is comprised of three phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation (Brown, 2018). The inspiration phase involves “learning directly from the client” and diving into their world to understand the problem that they want to solve (Brown, 2018). The ideation phase involves processing what you’ve learned, identifying possible design solutions and creating prototypes (Brown, 2018). It also involves a word I don’t like – mistakes.

Human-centered design is the code of ethics for every designer…

I’m a perfectionist at heart and if I don’t do it right the first time, I’d rather not do it at all. Krista Donaldson, CEO of D-Rev states, “As we seek to solve big problems, we’re bound to fail. But if we adopt the right mindset, we’ll inevitably learn something from that failure” (Design Kit, 2018). The ideation process is one of trial and error and we can’t be afraid of the errors. Errors can lead to great ideas and even greater solutions. I’ve often prided myself on getting it right on the first try. That’s been a consistent comment from many of my clients. I think room for failure depends on the project. Creating a quick social media flyer isn’t the same as developing a product or brand from scratch. I do believe that I need to allow myself to fail more because it takes the pressure off. Pressure can cause us to hate the things we love. Undue pressure has caused me to swear off graphic design at times, but that only lasted for a few days. Failure also means that your brain is hard at work. Donaldson states, “When human-centered designers get it right, it’s because they got it wrong first” (Design Kit, 2018). Failure allows us to arrive at the best solution.

Ambiguity is often part of the ideation phase because we may not know the answer to the problem yet. The minds at IDEO state, “Though it may seem counterintuitive, the ambiguity of not knowing the answer actually sets up human-centered designers to innovate” (2015, pp. 20). Ambiguity causes us to step out of our comfort zones and create something truly not seen before. Most of all we have to possess to optimism to know that we can solve the problem. “Optimism is the embrace of possibility, the idea that even if we don’t know the answer, that it’s out there and that we can find it” (2015, pp. 23). Iteration is also a part of the process that I struggle with. In an effort to be speedy and affordable, I’ve cut the iteration process way down. Forget sketches, I used to jump straight onto the computer and begin rendering. Since the inception of my graduate studies, I’ve been stretched from my usual 3 sketches for a logo design to 15 or more, not even touching the computer until the final three sketches have been refined and finalized. “Iteration keeps us nimble, responsive, and trains our focus on getting the idea and, after a few passes, every detail just right (2015, pp. 25). I’ve learned that the iterative process makes it easier to transfer designs from paper to pixels because the majority of the guesswork has already been removed. I’m learning that creativity does and should take time. We actually short-change ourselves and our clients from doing and receiving our best.

The final part of the design process is the Implementation phase. Tim Brown states, “In the Implementation Phase you’ll bring your solution to life, and eventually, to market (Design Kit, 2018). I’m in the process of restructuring my own design business. I want to move from the broad spectrum of graphic design to creating brands through the development of visual information systems. This will be accomplished by helping businesses create their client avatars, defining their visual identity and creating style guides to ensure that the visual and emotional aspects of the brand remain cohesive. One aspect that brought me comfort from The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design was that of developing a pilot launch. “During a pilot, you’ll fully execute on your idea finding out if it truly works the way you envisioned by running it with all the staff, space, and resources necessary” (2015, pp. 149). I was beginning to feel like I had to jump into to my new business structure cold turkey and fly by the seat of my pants, praying that everything works. Now I know that I can open my new program to a smaller group of people and work out the kinks before introducing the new business model to the public.

With my new business goal on the horizon, it would be in my best interest to go back to the cities logo project that began in Defining Client Needs and continued in Brand Development. I want to start at the very beginning and redo my mind maps because I misunderstood and focused on the country of Morocco instead of the city of Marrakesh. At that time, I definitely struggled more with the initial sketching process since I was used to jumping straight into Illustrator. I want to push myself to sketch more iterations and not be afraid of failure. I not only want to redevelop the logo, I also want to redevelop the style toolbox and create a final style guide that will encompass and give direction on how to execute all of the visual aspects of the brand.

This is what keeps me up at night. I’m also looking at every minute detail of a brand from the fonts, to the colors, to the logo placements and how they are used in various forms of media. I currently work with a majority of small businesses. Once they have the logo, the colors, and the fonts, they just begin slapping them on anything without any rhyme or reason. It drives me up the wall because they don’t realize that it takes more than that to create a brand. I’m also assisting with the rebranding of my church. I suggested the creation of a style guide so that the design team could be on the same page. That idea was canned because we needed to start producing collateral immediately to prepare for the relaunch. Although we’re all working together, each designer is taking their own creative license with the brand. It bugs me because although everything looks great on its own, there are inconsistencies in the brand as a whole. I definitely want to help my clients see the need for a defined visual structure because it makes for a clearer brand story.

When designers can come up with a process to explain the “black magic” of design, clients begin to feel more comfortable with our design solutions…

Back in Defining Client Needs, I was captivated by Margo Chase’s design process for Chinese Laundry and Starbucks. I really enjoyed seeing all of the research that went behind revamping a brand. One of the critiques that I received from Dr. Cleveland was to push my research more (Design Kit, 2018). Although I had great ideas, I need to explain more of the “why” behind the work. Chase mentions that when designers can come up with a process to explain the “black magic” of design, clients begin to feel more comfortable with our design solutions (Lynda.com, 2008). Pushing and explaining the research has been a consistent comment from my instructors. I need to shift my thinking from an hourly employee mindset to a Chief Creative Officer mindset. I also want to love every part of the design process instead of cringing and trying to rush past certain parts. Again, this means making a mental shift from maker to master.

I now realize that human-centered design is the code of ethics for every designer. Our end goal is and always will be assisting our clients in changing the world through design. Our clients should always be the center of every project as we take them along on the design journey with us. Every phase of the design process is important and should cause us to stretch to new levels of creativity. Failure, ambiguity, and many iterations are events that push us toward the best design solution, a sign of mastery. Makers work for money, while masters partner with their clients to create to change the world!

References

Cleveland, C. (2018, January 22). Defining Client Needs: Week 2. [Video File] Retrieved from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/30649/modules/53631/activities/374123

Design Kit (Producer). (2018, July 18). What is Human-Centered Design? [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.designkit.org/human-centered-design

Design Kit (Producer). (2018, July 18). Learn from Failure [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.designkit.org/mindsets/1

Design Kit (Producer). (2018, July 18). Embracing Ambiguity [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.designkit.org/mindsets/5

Design Kit (Producer). (2018, July 18). Optimism [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.designkit.org/mindsets/6

IDEO.org (2015) The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, 1st Edition. Canada.

Lynda.com (Producer). (2008, September 4). Creative Inspirations: Margo Chase, Graphic Designer [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Design-Documentariestutorials/Branding/685/38838-4.html