What’s in a niche? When I think of the term “niche” in the web industry, I immediately think, “Oh god, they’re all the same”.

• I hear “medical”, I think corporate and boxey,
• I hear “hotel”, I think text heavy, a decent looking banner image, and lots of forms,
• I hear “night club” I think huge photos, dark color schemes, with hardly any text,
• I hear “clothing retailer”, I think 2 column boring layout with cheesy stock photos,
• I hear “garage band”, I think dark, grunge backgrounds, with crazy fonts that you can’t read,
• I hear “daycare”, I think bright and pastel colors, with massive amounts of smiling children.

Does this mean that because you’re a marine biologist your website has to look a certain way, or if you’re a vacuum repair man you have a particular set of guidelines to follow when coming up with a look for your new website?

What comes to mind when you hear those terms? Every niche based industry seems to be so cliché. But it doesn’t have to be! Why not step outside the box? Rather then being the dreaded “this site looks just like all the others”, why not have the reaction of “Wow, I’ve never seen a candy store’s website look so awesome”. It’s up to you to start the trend that everyone else wants to then become.

So out of pure curiosity and an attempt to see how accurate I am, I’m gonna think up a few niche based industries and check out their sites, compare them, call them out on similarities, and see what differs as well. Here goes…

We’ll start fairly simple with “department store”.

You would think they all bought their template from the same place, right? The logo is in the top left, all three have a top row navigation, huge banner image, and columns of boxed ads. Let’s not forget the massive amounts of text links, everywhere! Not very original.

Next stop, let’s try “amusement park”.

Again, sensing a trend? Giant banner, navigation options along the top, banner ads in horizontal formation along bottom of site, and similar color schemes with blue backgrounds.

Moving on, “rock band”.

All three have a dark backgrounds, big band name written in grungy font and minimal text with the main focus on tour dates (understandably). And you gotta love the cheesy “backstreet boy”-type pose they all make. These guys are supposed to be hard core?

It’s lunch time, so I’m thinking “restaurant”.

We’ll try this two ways this time. Above, as you can see, are the less-thought-out ones. Upper left logo, understated banner area, we’ve now gone vertical with left navigation, and of course the huge banner image of food.

Now we’re talking! I have to give props to the above companies for turning their marketing efforts up a notch. It is a creative, outside the box, non-stereotypical, look at the appeal they have comparably. There are no similarities, they stand out above the crowd, and I’m gonna guess they are all currently on a waiting list for lunch. With websites this great looking, you’ll be fighting the crowds.

And lastly, I’m going with, “college”.

What we have here is a 3 column layout, school emblem in upper left, empty banner areas with a search box, left side navigation, and fairly low key color schemes.

So don’t become one in the same, let lifeBLUE help you break outside the box! Your website will thank us. You, of course, won’t have time to; because you’ll be too busy taking care of all your new customers.

The importance of Database Relations Normalization and its effects on efficiency.

“Schema Busters” is a multipart technical overview of Database Design elements that you can implement when designing and accessing your database implementation.  In this first section we will discuss the importance of a concept titled Normalization which aims to eliminate a number of undesirable attributes that a database relation may contain.  Initially we will discuss these undesirable attributes and then describe a number of popular methods, called Normalizations, to remove any undesirable attributes and convert an existing database relation into what is known as a Higher Normal Form Relation.  In each section we will also provide real world examples where such normalizations improve the quality of relations and query efficiency.

Undesirable #1: Non-atomic field values

Storing atomic (or indivisible) values in a field makes accessing data simpler and reduces redundancy.  Atomicity can be obtained by disallowing the direct storage of multiple values in a single attribute field.  That is, a single field contains at most a single element of the attribute domain associated with this field.  Take for example a CAR relation with a Color attribute.  Even though a single car may come in several colors, we would not want to store a list of colors in a single field since it makes accessing a single color element indirect and complicated (shown in figure 1).

CAR

Figure 1 – Non-atomic attribute Color

To resolve this issue we need to convert our CAR relation into what is called a First Normal Form relation.  There are different ways of achieving this, some more efficient than others.  Below is my recommended method:

• Remove the Color attribute from the CAR entity and place it into an associative table CAR_COLOR along with the primary key of CAR, Car_Id.

Pretty easy so far, right?  These two tables are now considered to be in First Normal Form.  We are now able to read in single car-to-color associations without the need of value parsing.

Undesirable #2: Non-Full Functional Dependency

Enforcing full functional dependency more accurately and properly associates relational data together.  For example, a table may have a composite primary key with different elements being functionally dependent on pieces of the composite key.  Full functional dependency separates data relations into intuitive dependency sets and allows for further database normalization.  Take for example the following CAR_SHOP, which refers to a shop that works on cars, relation and functional dependencies (denoted FD):

CAR_SHOP

• FD1: Car_Id, Shop_Id >> Price
• FD2: Car_Id >> Driver
• FD3: Shop_Id >> Owner

The functional dependencies describe relations between data.  FD1 simply states that for a given car at a given shop the price can be evaluated, FD2 states that a given car has a given driver, and FD3 states that a given shop has a given owner.  We can break up the CAR_SHOP entity to be simpler and more descriptive by performing the following manipulations:

•  Create a CAR entity that associates Car_Id and Driver.
• Create a SHOP entity that associates Shop_Id and Owner.
• Modify the CAR_SHOP entity that associates Car_Id, Shop_Id, and Price.

As you can see, this simply reflects the FDs described for our original CAR_SHOP entity.  These three new entities are considered to be in Second Normal Form.

Undesirable #3: Transitive Dependencies

Transitive dependencies exist when a non-key attribute of an entity is found on both the left and right-hand side of a known functional dependency.  This can lead to attributes being functionally dependent to non-key attributes.  Take for example a modified version of the CAR entity we described in the previous section:

CAR

Notice that we can derive the following functional dependency Car_Id >> DL_Number, SSN by the transitive property as shown below:

•  Car_Id >> Owner >> DL_Number, SSN

Since it is relatively safe to assume that a single Owner can have more than one car, we can easily see that having two entries in the CAR relation would generate repetitious data.  In order to simplify our entity we can take the following steps:

•  Modify the CAR entity and associates Car_Id, VIN, and Owner.
• Create an OWNER entity that associates Owner, DL_Number, and SSN.

We can verify that these manipulations are valid by double checking that the original functional dependencies still hold on our new relations, CAR and OWNER.  FD1 now holds on the modified CAR entity and FD2 holds strictly on the OWNER entity.

Conclusion (for now)

While there are more normalizations we can consider, several have limited practicality in real-world environments and can be made unnecessary if a database is designed carefully.  I say this not to belittle their importance, but to recognize the matter of pertinence in our discussion.  If your projects are requiring you to perform additional normalizations, you may consider picking up Fundamentals of Database Systems by Elmasri & Navanthe or another database schema textbook and doing some independent studies.  Hopefully by now you have gained a general understanding of the importance of database relation normalization and how it can improve your database schema.  Look for my next entry in this series where we will discuss additional database schema concepts and practices.

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In my more academic studies of graphic design, I have come across some writings about logo design that ring so incredibly true and useful that I thought it would be a public service of sorts for me to share them. Instead of trying to paraphrase or rewrite these nuggets of pure knowledge gold into my own words, I will mostly be doing a copy and paste job to let the original author do the talking. I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right? I certainly can’t say this stuff any better myself.

Anyone ever heard of design guru Paul Rand (1914 - 1996)? He knew a thing or two about a thing or two - particularly logo design. Look him up if you care to know more about him, but in short, he designed some of the most successful and recognizable logos we know today, such as IBM (1967), Westinghouse (1960), UPS (1961), and ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation [1962]). I’ve looked at some of Mr. Rand’s logo presentations and believe you me, that guy put oodles of thought and exploration into every phase of the design process. So yeah, he was pretty much an expert on logo design. Here’s what he said, quite simply and directly, about what a logo is and does in an article he wrote for AIGA in 1991 titled “Logos, Flags, and Escutcheons”. Pay attention here, because this alone should clear up a lot of misconceptions we encounter today about the role of a logo:

“A logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon.

A logo doesn’t sell (directly), it identifies.

A logo is rarely a description of a business.

A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.

A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it means is more important than what it looks like.”

In the same article, he goes on to say:

“Should a logo be self-explanatory? It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes. If a company is second rate, the logo will eventually be perceived as second rate. It is foolhardy to believe that a logo will do its job right off, before an audience has been properly conditioned. Only after it becomes familiar does a logo function as intended; and only when the product or service has been judged effective or ineffective, suitable or unsuitable, does it become truly representative.”

With that being all cleared up, we find that we don’t need to visually convey in a logo every aspect - or even a couple of aspects - of our business. This is not the logo’s job. It’s rarely even possible and it’s not necessary But this doesn’t mean that we just give up and type out our companies name in Arial, either. I think the real key is developing some mnemonic factor in the logo. Paul Rand said, “What is needed is finding a meaningful device, some idea that reinforces the memorability of the company name.” Well said, Mr. Rand.

Going back and quoting from the aforementioned AIGA article and elaborating on the topic at hand, Rand said:

“The Mercedes symbol, for example, has nothing to do with automobiles; yet it is a great symbol, not because its design is great, but because it stands for a great product. The same can be said about apples and computers. Few people realize that a bat is the symbol of authenticity for Bacardi Rum; yet Bacardi is still being imbibed. Lacoste sportswear, for example, has nothing to do with alligators (or crocodiles), and yet the little green reptile is a memorable and profitable symbol. What makes the Rolls Royce emblem so distinguished is not its design (which is commonplace), but the quality of the automobile for which it stands. Similarly, the signature of George Washington is distinguished not only for its calligraphy, but because George Washington was Washington. Who cares how badly the signature is scribbled on a check, if the check doesn’t bounce? Likes or dislikes should play no part in the problem of identification; nor should they have anything to do with approval or disapproval. Utopia!”

Dang, Paul Rand! Did you just say that personal likes or dislikes should play no role in the design of your logo? I think you did! Well touché! I realize that may sound a bit idealistic and harsh to say your personal tastes don’t matter in relation to your logo design, but in the end it’s true. All you would be logo designees, it’s your hard-earned cash on the line, so while it may seem important (and understandably so) that you get an end result that appeases your personal tastes, it’s not nearly as important as getting an end result that gets the job done and works well. We need to trust the experts. And designers, the same goes for you as well - put your personal tastes aside and do what is right for the job at hand. Just because your favorite color is black doesn’t mean you should use it when developing a logo for a florist. Just because you think grunge type is the next best thing to oxygen doesn’t mean you should use it on your sister’s wedding invitations. Designers and designees - we need to look at things more objectively.

This brings me to another great piece of text from Rand’s AIGA article:

“”It reminds me of the Georgia chain gang,” quipped the IBM executive, when he first eyed the striped logo. When the Westinghouse insignia (1960) was first seen, it was greeted similarly with such gibes as “this looks like a pawnbroker’s sign.” How many exemplary works have gone down the drain, because of such pedestrian fault-finding? Bad design is frequently the consequence of mindless dabbling, and the difficulty is not confined merely to the design of logos. This lack of understanding pervades all visual design.”

Oh the humanity! Simply so true.

Two quotes above - the one that starts off with “The Mercedes symbol…” - it kind of sounds like Rand implies that good logo design doesn’t really matter; it just has to be memorable. Well, no. Once again, Mr.Rand, will you fancy us with some insight here?

“All this seems to imply that good design is superfluous. Design, good or bad, is a vehicle of memory. Good design adds value of some kind and, incidentally, could be sheer pleasure; it respects the viewer-his sensibilities-and rewards the entrepreneur. It is easier to remember a well designed image than one that is muddled. A well design logo, in the end, is a reflection of the business it symbolizes. It connotes a thoughtful and purposeful enterprise, and mirrors the quality of its products and services. It is good public relations-a harbinger of good will. It says, “We care.””

I love that! Yes, we do care!

So what should a good logo design include? As stated by Paul Rand (and I agree with this list wholeheartedly) a good logo design should include these essential elements:

a. distinctiveness
b. visibility
c. usability
d. memorability
e. universality
f. durability
g. timelessness

You mean that’s it? CAKE! I kid, I kid. Logo design - GOOD logo design - is not necessarily easy. Achieving list A through G in a simple little logo ain’t a walk in the park.

Logos need to be simple. However, I can think of some instances where this doesn’t necessarily have to be true. With the emergence of the screen as the dominant medium and new and improved printing techniques, logo design is changing in some ways, but I regress and will leave that discussion for a future blog entry. For the most part, the essence of good logo design remains that same as it has been for a long, long time. So again, logos need to be simple… but simple doesn’t mean easy. Take it away, Paul Rand!

“The role of the logo is to point, to designate-in as simple a manner as possible. A design that is complex, like a fussy illustration or an arcane abstraction, harbors a self-destruct mechanism. Simple ideas, as well as simple designs are, ironically, the products of circuitous mental purposes. Simplicity is difficult to achieve, yet worth the effort.”

That’s right - simplicity is difficult to achieve. Don’t I know it!

The last point I’d like to make on logo design (for now) is this: “Don’t try to be original. Just try to be good.” In a sparkling little jewel of a YouTube video I recently had the pleasure of watching, Paul Rand is speaking with some design students when he says:

“What did Mies van der Rohe say? ‘Don’t try to be original. Just try to be good.’ That sounds sort of naive but it’s true. What it really means is being good is damn difficult. So it’s very difficult to be original. You have to have an idea. And you don’t have an idea when you have nothing to work with.” (Ahem - For more on that last line, please refer back to my last blog entry .)

What that quote also means to me is it’s nearly impossible to be 100% original these days, and one should not become so enamored with this concept as to become unproductive. When someone is completely obsessed with doing something entirely original (entirely being the key word), it reminds me of those idealistic kids in design school who refused to trace an illustration for a class assignments because that would somehow mean compromising themselves as an artist. Okay, Pablo Picasso.

In Reality, we’re all exposed to the same influences; we’re all exposed to the same shapes, symbols, patterns, and forms. This only becomes more and more prevalent as the world continues to expand into melding cultures and consumer based societies. Still, it is important to achieve design that sets you apart.Don’t get me wrong here - I’m not saying that doing something new and fresh is a trivial pursuit, and that originality should not be sought after. Remember, Paul Rand says a good logo must be distinctive and memorable. I’m simply saying chances are that any great idea you have has probably already been done somewhere, somehow, in some form, so don’t obsess over it. If you always set out to be uninfluenced and 100% original all the time, you’d never get anywhere. Just try to be good; practice forward thinking, solid design principles, and good results will follow. Designer, Mike Davidson says:

“Tell yourself at every step in the design process that someone has undoubtedly already thought of this and what can you do to really set it apart. In design, and particularly logo design, the pessimistic axiom that “everything has already been done” is becoming more and more true, and it is only the virtuous designer who can continue to stand out in a sea of sameness.”

True dat, Mike. I think the real challenge is not being completely original, because it’s nearly - if not completely - impossible, but to apply your ideas in a new and fresh way.

In other words, just try to be good.

SEO has been a part of our world for many years now, same for SEM – both efforts solely geared for attracting traffic to your website from the search engines. One way through organically ranking for different keywords, the other by bidding for text advertisements that shows up for different keywords (most commonly known as pay-per-click). And now, a third very important technique to deliver new visitors to your site and that’s SCO – Social Connection Optimization (the acronym isn’t mainstream yet, so we just sort of made it up). In a nutshell, it’s designing your website so that it is easily connected to all the major social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

User data is coming in more and more frequently now and more studies are being conducted these days about how and why people are finding websites. In the past, they either remembered the domain name, they searched a term on a search engine or they clicked a banner ad or maybe a link on another site. Today, the social networks are sending more traffic to websites than ever before. And it’s at such a point now, that website owners who optimize their site for users to share information among their friends, or even discuss items about the website are winning the game today and setting themselves up for even greater success down the road.

Think about how much information we are exposed to on daily basis. And how much a friend or colleague’s advice or suggestion influences your decision about where to shop, what to eat, where to go this weekend, etc. That’s what’s happening more and more on the web with social networking growing at its rapid pace. Connectivity with circles of influence has never been easier and people are changing they way they absorb information – instead of sorting through all the advertisements and news stories on their own, they wait for the filter that is their social network.

This means that Social is the next Search and it’s an opportunity for the quick-minded website owners to reconfigure some of the ways they do business online. Not only should you use the search engines and click-thru advertising to drive traffic to your website, engaging and connecting with the social communities is just as important and vital to your future success.

Three things to do for SCO

1. Add the appropriate social connections to your website. Facebook Connect, Twitter sign-in, and LinkedIn links are easy tools to add – but they aren’t the only ones and many others are available to add. This may require high-level technical knowledge because of the use of API’s, so be prepared for that and use our team at lifeBLUE for tasks like these.
2. Continually make improvements and adjustments to the social usability on your site. Provide your site visitors with the tools to share your content with their social network. Let them sign-in to your website with their social accounts, avoiding an entirely new registration process.
3. And as always, study the data. Dig into the analytics and identify the best social communities that are working for you along with the areas of weakness that can be improved. Interact with the social networks and have a solid grasp on how much of your site’s information is being shared and really understand your own success – identify the things that you are doing that is translating into social networking GOLD … and keep it up because these social sites aren’t going away anytime soon.

In my last blog I discussed the differences of various types of web companies that exist in today’s market. One key factor in the overall cost of a website is the utilization of the team environment versus individuals simply working on a project. Operating a team at an efficient level of production for a web development project is simply not a task for the feint of heart. I will be the first to admit that any single individual can technically be more efficient than a team, however that does not directly correlate to more output and/or a better product. Ultimately, if the team is managed effectively it CAN be more efficient. With some companies, especially low cost ones, the only team aspect you are getting is an assembly line style production performed by individuals. Regardless of the industry, assembly lines are geared for one single purpose; to produce a large volume of the EXACT same product. If you are into custom cars or have ever had the pleasure to watch “Pimp My Ride” on MTV, you will notice that they always consist of teams working towards a single vision and common goal of producing a completely custom product. Each team member contributes to this vision with their own area of expertise. So what unique aspects do you get from a team when building a website?

1. Ideas - The world is full of “ideas” people. While some are more creative than others, the true creative individual doesn’t just spawn creative thinking in their sleep. They gain inspiration from their environment and more importantly other individuals dedicated to a common purpose and goal. Each team member brings their unique expertise and experiences to the table to come up with GREAT solutions that most people could not accomplish as individuals.

2. Thoroughness - The larger the project, the harder it is to collectively think of all of the ins and outs that go into its creation. It would take one heck of a person to single handedly think of the thousands of elements that go into a large scale project, and the odds are that they will miss something in the end. With a team, similar to ideas, you get each individual’s strengths to contribute to making sure every point is covered. Some team members are user interface experts, while others are great at testing, and more. There are so many more proficiencies in the web industry beyond just designing and developing. Furthermore individuals that are simply great at everything are extremely rare or are extremely full of it.

3. Productivity - An individual, working as an individual, must be extremely self-motivated and/or have some strict guidelines to work within. It is easy to distract an individual and likewise if that individual has other responsibilities you would be hard pressed to ever gain that their 100% attention. I have seen websites produced by individuals take months with mediocre results and I have seen teams do the same amount of work within days and produce stellar results. Teams motivate and feed off of each other. There is no greater motivator than competition and no one wants to be dragging the rear.

All of the benefits of a team producing a website are consistent with the same elements of a great sports team or a military unit. When it comes to a web design company you might pay a little extra for a true team, but the odds are the results will be faster, better, and more inline with your end goal than the luck of a draw of choosing than the alternative. Is lifeBLUE a team? You bet we are!

Not to long from now 4G wireless coverage is going to change how the mobile device world works. No longer will high speed internet be relegated to a 100 yard radius around your home. It will extend out beyond your home, office, and internet cafe into every corner of whatever major city you live in.

Things are going to change.

Things are going to change a lot.

As the internet world truly integrates with the mobile world, internet marketing will change drastically. Gone are the days where gaudy banner ads are the way to go. Those lovely little text ads will change forever.  Our social media outlets will no longer be tied to a desk. To reach the masses, creativity will be required.

Typically, the strongest part of any marketing campaign has been the “art” side of creative marketing.  That is also changing.  While graphic art is and always will be just as important to any marketing endeavor, the user interface has now risen to meet it in importance.  Here are a few reasons why.

Technology is no longer a spectator sport.

People want to interact with things on a tactile level.  Even with television, which is largely a spectator oriented technology, people gravitate to the content they can interact with.  Shows such as “Dancing With The Stars”, “American Idol”, and others have proven this for years now.  People like to contribute to their entertainment.

In the web world the sites that are used the most are sites that involve two things.  First a simple, usable interface that lets users do what they want without reading a manual.  Second, visitors can put their two cents in.  This is why Facebook has taken the world by storm.  People can use it without a Masters degree in computer science and it’s all about them.

People want to know and they want to know now.

People know that information is out there and they want it quickly and in a simple way. If you don’t provide that they will find it elsewhere. There are so many sites out there that do the same thing and 90% of the time the most successful site has three basic elements: clean design, relevant information, and most importantly it’s fun to use.  The site that does these three things (plus some good marketing) has the best chance to be a success.

Brand is no longer just about a logo.

Brand loyalty is now built by usability as well as visual appeal.   Take Google, they don’t have the greatest logo, a stunning visual design, or little pretties everywhere.  In fact, they do quite the opposite.  There is one woman who has been there since nearly the beginning who’s job it is to ensure that the user interface remains clean.  She is paid huge sums of cash to tell the designers to keep it simple.  People love Google not because it has a “WOW Wee” design, but because it is easy to use.

None of this negates good design.  In fact, it helps define it.  Good web design is defined by how the user will react AND interact with it.  If a design is good looking and hard to use, it is still bad design.  If a design is both then magic happens.

Now that the web is everywhere, user interface is everything.  Design, development, and implementation of a marketing campaign deeply depends on how a user feels about using that marketing.  It’s a good day for the internet because the user is finally the primary consideration.

Power to the users!

So I was intrigued by a recent blog I read where a company gave their team a set of questions, to see how varied the answers would be. You can take a team of designers, all having the same “job” and see how their perceptions differ, or take a team of all different positions and see how polar opposite they are. There might even turn out to be some similarities. So I decided that for my own personal good, I’d take our production team, all which play different roles on our team, throw the same set of questions at each of them, and see what comes of it. So here goes, 15 questions to make us stop and ponder…

I would just like to point out that you can tell the difference between the 1 girl in the group answering questions and all the guys doing it. Oh, the fun in working with men.

How would you answer?

Hello World. My name is Ben. Simply stated, I am a Graphic Designer. I love, love, LOVE Graphic Design. It defines such a large part of who I am, and I just can’t imagine doing anything else with my life….except for being a trust fund baby. Kidding. Passion? I have it. Talent? Born with it (thanks to The Big Guy Above). Skill? Always working to improve it. This is my calling in life, and I humbly accept.

So anyway, I’m the new guy here at lifeBLUE Media, and I’m just thrilled to be here to do my part in taking this fine company to the next level. One thing I have been commissioned to accomplish here at the LB is to define, refine, and implement an effective creative process. Yes! But wait…uh…what exactly does that mean?

The term “creative process” may sound a bit like an oxymoron. Most people think of “creative” as being free-flowing, unrestrained, and whimsical. While this certainly can be the case, in relation to effective commercial Graphic Design…eh, not so much. And the word “process” seems to evoke feelings of rigidity, confinement, and order. So how can you put a process in place to be creative? Doesn’t that just happen naturally?

In order to better understand this, I think it might be helpful to talk about what Graphic Design is…and isn’t. I’m always surprised at the varied responses I get from people when I tell them what I do. It has led me to believe that a large portion of the public doesn’t really understand what a Graphic Designer does, which is completely understandable. Adding confusion is the immediacy of computers and extremely accessible design software programs that lead people to believe that any guy or gal with a copy of Photoshop is a designer. It’s all just the push of a button and the click of a mouse, right? Again, not so much. I’m not here to tell you that Graphic Design is something so super complicated and deep that people just can’t understand it. Quite the contrary. But because it touches so many aspects of our lives and because the professional tools are so easily accessible to the general public, it’s easy to see where the confusion comes in. We are so bombarded with Graphic Design in our society that I think it becomes a part of our lives that we are not all that aware of.

Simply put, Graphic Design is visual communication. It is not mere decoration. It is an applied art, not a fine art. A designer skillfully and strategically (we hope) uses a variety of visual elements such as photography, illustration, typography, layout, etc. to effectively (we hope) convey a message, usually to a specified audience. A Designer takes the intangible and ambiguous nature of a concept or an idea and turns it into something we can look at (and sometimes pick up and touch) and quickly “get it.” Most of the time, the Designer is also responsible for coming up with the concept to begin with…and it’s got to be memorable, have impact,  and be on target too! A good designer doesn’t design something to look cool just because he or she can; there is well thought out reasoning and execution behind every design (we hope). Our visual communications take many forms, such as websites, advertising campaigns, magazines, book covers, brochures, billboards, logos, business cards, letterhead, stationery, posters, product packaging, signage, annual reports, and on and on and on. Phew!

While the creative process is not rocket science by any means, it is constructed of a few crucial steps that, when followed, will ensure the best possible outcome of solid creative that communicates well…and that’s really what it’s all about. What you definitely DO NOT want to do is jump straight on the computer and start designing in the digital realm–this is a total rookie mistake. Bad designer! Bad!

Basically, you can break the creative process down into three main stages or steps: research, thumbnails, and comps.  Let’s delve a little deeper, shall we?

BUT WAIT!  It’s pretty crucial to understand a few things first: what is being designed (a logo, an e-commerce website, an email launch, a brochure?) and what is the project’s budget. These things will help to dictate an overall focus and a time line for completion of the project and for the various stages within. Seems fairly logical, right? I could go into more detail here, but I shall spare you.

So now that we know what we’re doing, we need to really, really understand who we are doing it for. This is where our first bit of research comes into play. At this point, we need ask lots of questions and gather as much information about the client’s brand as we possibly can. This is the fact finding stage. Who is the client? What do they do? Who do they do it for? How do they do it? What makes the client unique? Where is their business now and where do they want to take it? Who is their competition? Basically, we need to have all of this relevant information (and more) before we can make the best decisions with our creative direction.

From here, let’s continue with some research, mmmkay? Once we have a pretty good handle on who the client is, we need to learn what we can about their industry as a whole. What’s it all about? Who are the key players? What is the competition doing well and what are they doing poorly? What are our client’s key differences from the competition?

With all of this information now gathered, documented, and processed, it’s time to start with some serious George W. Bush style “strategery.” Yes! The design team takes all of the variables learned in the client research phase and uses that information to establish a vision, or write a creative brief. This document or plan will usually consist of things like the project summary (scope of the project), an audience profile, the client’s perception and tone to the marketplace, a communication strategy, and competitive positioning. Basically, this is mapping out how we will get the client to where they need to go. Probably a good idea at this point to share the design brief with the client to make sure you’re both in the same page.

Let me just throw in a little side note on all of this really quick. For smaller clients and/or smaller projects, this all may seem like overkill. That may be true, but it’s important to always try follow some semblance of these stages of the process…even if the client research phase means simply reading through the client’s existing website or collateral, or the creative brief only consists of a few sentences or bullet points. The point of all of this is to be thorough in your approach and to get all of the facts before making decisions. Remember, the end goal is to produce powerful and impacting creative, and to do so you need all of the facts up front.

We’re not done being thorough just yet. We’ve done client research…time to do some design research. Fun! The creative thought process really begins here in doing design research. Let’s go back and take a look at creative that’s already out there in our client’s market space. Let’s look at some design annuals, design blogs, and design oriented magazines to get the creative wheels turning. Research should not be limited to just Graphic Design resources either–look at architecture, fine art, nature…there is no limit. Let’s get inspired! All Designers pull inspiration from other designers and artists and the world around them. It’s true. Not only is it true, it’s the right thing to do. Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of art and design, always keeping your creative brief in mind to help your research maintain focus. So spend some time doing design research, yeah? All good Designers are doing design research pretty much daily anyway, because we’re design nerds and we derive pleasure and satisfaction from it. (Did I just imply that I’m a good designer?  I think I did…but I also just called myself a nerd.)

Okay, now comes the fun and challenging part. We’ve done our client research, we’ve established a vision and mapped out our plan with the creative brief, we’ve done design research, and now it’s time to put the pencil to the paper by creating some thumbnail sketches. This is where true creative conceptualization is born. Think of this phase on jotting down loose ideas on a napkin, loose being the key word. The idea is to get the creative juices flowing; no idea is a bad idea at this point. This isn’t about drawing skills or tightly rendered art. It can be, and usually is, some form of chicken scratch that means something only to the designer as a reference point for an idea. That’s all that matters. Thumbnailing isn’t a time to make practical design decisions such as color choices and font selections–this is pure conceptualization and should be utilized for generating ideas. I could back up a step here and talk about word lists or mind mapping as well…and so I shall. Most of the time, before I even begin with the thumbnails, I will make lists of words or phrases that can be associated with the client’s brand. This helps to get me focused before even beginning with thumbnails by identifying potential concepts by use of words alone.

Just how many thumbnails should I create, anyway? The answer is plenty, or enough. Sometimes, when all of the stars are aligned and the gravitational pull of the moon is just the right amount to foster maximum creative potential, my first thumbnail will be my best idea. But even if this is true, more thumbnails need to be generated to test the strength of the first idea. As a design student, we used to be required to produce 40+ thumbnails on a regular basis. That’s not easy. I find that I usually do not produce quite so many in a real world situation, but it’s important to not rush through this phase and to do your due diligence. Work it out! Because no amount of fancy design work later on down the road can compensate for a lousy concept.

Another important step in this phase, and through all the phases of the creative process, is collaboration with other team members to help you realize your best ideas and weed out the weak ones. I think most Designers crave validation through feedback. I know I do. And so many times a team member will help you expand on an idea, or help you realize that you may be heading down the wrong path. No Designer should live on a desert island of design.

Now that you’ve done your due diligence with the thumbnail process and collaborated with your team to select your best ideas only, you’re ready to move on with your life. A lot of the time, I will do some pencil roughs of my best three or so ideas just to tighten them up a bit and provide a clearer picture before moving on to computer comps. Pencil roughs are a step up from thumbnails, but not as tightly rendered as comps. I don’t think roughs are always a necessity though. Just depends.

Next, walk over to your Mac and turn it on. Because surely you haven’t been using the computer up to this point, right? Well, only for your research phases. Now is the time to put your Adobe suite to work. But ONLY if you have a clear picture of where you’re going. Let me be clear about something–there is, and should be, plenty of room for exploration during the comping phase. Rarely do my comps turn out exactly how I envisioned they would during the thumbnail phase. Things change. Ideas evolve. Not always do concepts translate to the medium you’re working in just as you originally thought they might. So be flexible…but don’t veer too far off from your original ideas either, or else you’ll end up spinning your wheels and wasting valuable time. Generate enough comps to exhaust all possible design options in your allotted time, but it’s not a good idea to present everything you’ve done to the client. Collaborate with your team to narrow it down to the top three designs. This may, and probably will, take some back and forth of going back to the comping phase and making edits and changes. Make sure you are remaining true to the concept you decided was best in your thumbnail stages. Think about how many comps you want to present to the client. I think presenting anything more than three is usually asking for complications and frustrations. Sometimes it may be best to show only one comp. Again, just depends.

Once you have some solid comp work done, it’s time to present all of your hard work to the client, and this is where I will bring this lengthy blog entry to a close. Presentations and client revisions are a whole other topic and entry.

I hope what I have done is to help clarify why, as Designers, a creative process exists and something of what that entails. There is a lot of work that goes into any good design, but any good designer will make it look easy. As a result, most non-designers don’t realize what goes into it. But there is a method to our madness. We do have well thought out reasons why we design the things that we do. We work hard for the clients of the world. We put passion and energy into our creative work. It drives us and motivates us. We thrive on it! Well I’ve said enough. I could go on, but I’ll shut up now.