Since my last blog entry was on the ills of creative block, I figured it appropriate to follow up with a list of design blogs/sites that I use on a regular basis to keep up with what’s hot in the design world. (I know this topic has been done before on the LB blog, but…not by me! )

I’ve talked before about how important I think it is as a designer to immerse yourself in the world of design . Personally, I sometimes obsess over it to the point of it being a bit unhealthy, but what can I say - I love the stuff.

When I was a design student at the Art Institute of Dallas, the library was full of design annuals, books, & magazines on design of all kinds. Inspiration was never more than a library trip away. But have you ever looked at the prices of these annuals and publications? Man, they’re not cheep! That’s why a high quality design site is worth gold; they’re super accessible and best of all…FREE!

Here’s a list of some goodn’s:

1. Logo Pond
Welcome to my latest obsession. Logo Pond is a free site where some of the biggest and best logo designers (along with anyone else who wants to upload their work) post designs for critique, feedback, and show. It’s a huge resource for inspiration, and a great place to get critiques from some of the best in the business. If your submitted logo makes the gallery (and our Taste of Watters Creek logo recently has), you’ve done something outstanding.

2. Logo Design Love
Moving on with logo sites, Logo Design Love is a great place to find articles on what’s going on in the world of logo design, articles on the logo design process, and interviews from top logo designers.

3. Logo Lounge (I promise not all of these will be logo sites!)
Logo Lounge is the website of the famed Logo Lounge book series. Without being a member, access to the site is limited, but there’s still some good content to get at, like the logo trends article. If you are a member, you can upload logos to be considered for their publication (fingers crossed for a future pick from the LB!).

4. Under Consideration
This site mostly shows brands who have currently undergone image overhauls or revamps and gives commentary. Sometimes the commentary errs on the negative side, but it’s cool to see who is updating and what they’re updating to.

5. Behance
Behance has got to be my all-time favorite. This place is a great resource for creative professionals of all kinds. Users upload projects and the best ones get showcased in the gallery. Let me tell you, the work here is hot, hot, hot! It includes everything from fashion, product design, photography, web, branding, print, illustration, painting, animation, architecture, interior design, and sound can be found here. It is truly inspiring!

6. Smashing Magazine
Geared for design on the web, Smashing is good for both graphic guys and developers alike. They have informative articles, interviews, themed showcases, great inspirational entries, and I love all their freebies - specifically the icon sets.

7. Luke Lucas
Luke Lucas is an Australian designer who deals mostly with typography illustration. His blog is mostly about the aforementioned. It’s not something I get the pleasure to do very often - if at all - in my professional career, but it’s super inspiring to me and I respect the heck out of it. Overall, there’s a lot of cool artsy stuff there.

8. fffffound
This site is pretty cool - sometimes a little too cool. At times it’s too much of a hipsters paradise for me, but there’s also a lot of stunning cutting edge imagery that can be found here. Users can posts and share their favorite found images from around the web, mostly having to do with art and design. Warning - sometimes the images contain “artsy” nudity and can be rather racy. Gasp! Not my thing at all, but there’s lots of wholesome design goodness at ffffound too.

9. Design Observer
Founded by Pentagram’s Michael Bierut and others, Design Observer is a more intellectual approach to the design world. There are lots of well written essays and commentary for when you feel like getting all brainy about design.

10. Under Consideration FPO
Aka, For Print Only, is all about topnotch projects from the wonderful world of print design. What’s really cool about this site is that it shows a project overview and details, including quantity produced, production cost, production time, print method, dimensions, paper stock used, etc. For a design nerd me, it’s really cool to see all of those real-world specifications. Inspiration + real-world education = a better designer.

11. Page Crush
A self proclaimed inspirational design hub, page crush is chalk full of examples of well designed websites. It’s a nice stop to gather some quick ideas for web layouts if you’re feeling a little creatively stumped.

12. ISO50
This is the blog of graphic design guru Scott Hansen aka ISO50 I’ve been a long-time fan of ISO50’s work. His blog is a nice showcase of design stuff that inspires him, including a lot of retro design goodies, as well as some practical information entries like design magazine critiques & overviews.

13. The CSS Awards
Another web design specific blog a lot like page crush. What I really like about this site is that it ranks every featured site on a scale of 1 - 10 on the criteria of design, creativity, usability, and content. The rating is displayed in a cool color-coded graphic and the featured work is always top-notch.

14. FWA
FWA stand for Favorite Website Award. It is a recognized industry award program and inspirational portal. If you’ve won an FWA, you’ve done something truly amazing. When you want to be floored & inspired by some forward-thinking outside of the box conceptual madness, this is the place. These sites push boundaries in design, functionality, and content. I heart FWA.

15. AIGA
In their own words, “AIGA, the professional association for design, stimulates thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design and empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution.” Couldn’t have said it better myself! Their site is a great stop for all things design, including inspiration, professional resources, education, the business of design, and articles.

Well there you have it, folks - 15 of my favorite design site bookmarks. If you’re a design junkie like me who has a huge scrolling list of bookmarks of design sites & blogs, I hope I’ve turned you on to one or two that you haven’t been to before. If you’re new to the world of design sites, well then…welcome to the obsession. Is there one I missed? Please leave comments with your favorite design site and maybe I’ll feature it in my next blog.

Web design has transformed a lot over the last decade, and really has progressed allowing designers to express themselves. As a web designer I am constantly looking at examples of great web design and trying to keep us ahead of the curve with our design concepts.

One important aspect I learned in my research is the significance of photography in web design. Websites that jumped off the screen to me were simplistic and contained spectacular photography. Photography is a great way to grab the viewer’s eye and keep them fixated on the site. The first thing viewers notice when they visit a website is the photograph. Text is secondary if it is of interest. Our attention span is so short that we predominately look at the photographs and look further if needed.

We recently designed a website for Watters Creek located in Allen, Texas. Below I have the before and after photographs on the site and you can see for yourself the vast difference in the way the photography is used. The revamped version uses photographs that take up a majority of the screen and the rest of the design has a simplistic and inviting look. While the previous version of the site uses a smaller photograph, and the rest of the design is not as clean and takes away from the photography.

Here are some great examples of websites using impressive photography…

Duchy Origionals

Cathedral Mountain Lodge

The Touch Agency

Rebecca Ruth Photography

Rebecca Ruth Photography

As you may be able to tell from my clever blog title, I seem to be suffering from the dreaded creative block. Ugh. What’s worse is that it’s just in the attempt to come up with a cool idea for a blog! But while picking at my brain for crumbs of creative intelligence, and acknowledging that I am indeed starving for tasty nuggets of inspiration, a light - albeit it a very sad, dim pale yellow light - went off in my head to make my blog about…creative block! Brilliant?

It falls upon all who endeavor in the arts, whether it be commercial or fine, visual or aural, for hire or for fun. Usually - for me, at least - it happens at a time when I really don’t have time for it. That’s how it seems anyway. Maybe it’s because intense concentration is the enemy of inspiration? Maybe. Because you’re thinking so intently about getting the task at hand completed as you speed frantically down the desert road of ideas, you soon find yourself slamming on the brakes to avoid slamming into the road block barricades suddenly just 40 yards ahead. That can certainly be one of many possible causes, no doubt.

At any rate, creative block happens. It’s inevitable. So what can one do about it? Here’s some ideas.

1) Quit.
Maybe creative endeavors just aren’t your thing. Maybe you’re just a hack. Maybe you should try another career path, like accounting or being a tax collector for the IRS. They say quitters never win. Well, the world needs losers too.

2) Punch a wall…or someone’s face.
Nothing like a little rage to get those creative juices flowing. But be careful not to break your hand. Once the creative block has been viciously torn down by your act of blind rage, you’ll find it nearly impossible to work with your paws all awkwardly bundled up in a cast.

3) Enhance your mind….with substances.
I find anything in the psychedelics family to be the most effective choice here. But if you’re too wussy to go all out and possibly end up in the loony bin or jail, try a Monster energy drink. **takes 3 massive gulps**

4) Steal. Blatantly.
Go to your favorite design blog, find the first work that sparks an interest in your tiny void of a brain, an rip it off. Literally copy the design, color scheme and layout identically (You will, however, have to change out the content for your own. Bummer.) Chances are if it’s featured on a design blog, it’s good, so all of the work has been done for you already. Why bother yourself with being a creative genius when other designers far superior than you already are?

Well there you have it. After 12 years of design experience and a lifetime of being a so-called “creative” person, this is what I’ve come up with - a crapy list of 4 pathetic “ideas.” Pfft!

In all seriousness (just incase you didn’t pick up on the sarcastic tone of this blog) creative block is a real issue for creative professionals, but I don’t know that it’s got any real solutions.

I read once in a textbook for graphic design that the best thing to do when developing a concept is to not think about it too intently. Keep the problem somewhere at the fore front of your mind, but go about your other business, and when you least expect it - maybe when you’re taking a shower, sitting on the royal throne, walking your dog, eating pork tacos, vacuuming you hair, shaving your lawn, doing hand stands in the rain, etc. - a solution will come. The catch to this “method” is that it requires you not to be in a time crunch. Dang.

Of course, there’s the almighty sketch book. With your problem in mind, just start sketching. Any design should start with a pencil and paper anyway.

Looking at your favorite design/art blogs/books/magazines can really help too. But remember kids - plagiarism = bad. Being inspired or influenced = good. Let’s face it - if you’re an artist of any kind, you’re inspired by work that has come before you, and that’s totally okay. Just be sure to give your work a fresh twist of originality - something to make it your own.

To regurgitate an idea I recently came across on stimulating creativity, embrace randomness. I like this idea. To be able to do this, you can’t be afraid to fail. You know, failure in the design world can actually be a good thing. Not overall failure of a concept or design, but failure in the initial stages of conceptualizing and comping is okay. These failures can lead you to your successes. The pressure to get it right the first time can be overwhelming and counter productive. So embrace randomness, and don’t be afraid to fail. Got it?

Everything else aside, sooner or later the creative block, like the velvet rope at your city’s hottest night club, will be opened up for your V.I.P. access into exclusive creative utopian bliss! It’s inevitable.

In our office, we have a constant debate about traditional “webby” design vs. “conceptual” design. I would like to set the record straight, by saying your website absolutely, positively, 100% guaranteed, does NOT have to look like a website.

When you think of a website, what do you think of? Lines, boxes, solid colors, horizontal navigation, and the occasional drop shadow? Structure, structure, structure. Sounds fun and innovative, right? Not.

Your website is representing YOU. So don’t you want it to be as awesome as you are? Are you square? Probably not. Are you boring? I hope not. Are you a solid color? Doubt it. So why does your website have to be? Think of it more like a digital self portrait.

Take your website on a walk along the beach, back in time to black and white TV, in the middle of a rock concert, on a deserted island, you name it, we can do it.

Don’t be afraid to break the mold. Its 2010, lets scrap the straight lines, symmetric text, and get with the times. We’re all sitting around lifeBLUE dying to be the ones to take you to that next level, all you have to do is give us the green flag!

We know the design lingo, but the chances of you visualizing in your head, what we have in ours, is probably slim. (warning, you probably wouldn’t want to either). So let’s break it down in a visual way to help you see what the possibilities are, from a few companies that turned the heat up a notch:

So from our team to you… Please, challenge us. No really, I dare ya.

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.

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.

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.

You’re going on a hot date tonight, what should you where? He’s really into sports, so maybe a Dallas Cowboy jersey. He likes tall girls, so maybe a dress with heels. But his favorite color is green, so maybe that nice new sweater you just got for Christmas. Whatever the case may be, you must dress to impress, right? It’s a no brainer.

Just like with any other type of attention you are trying to receive, treat your website with the same amount of fashionista advice. Luckily, most top names in the game know all the tricks, but do you? Have you ever looked at your website and thought, “Am I appealing to the right crowd?” Do you sell soccer balls and have a hot pink polka site, or own a floral shop with a black site? You may take a step back and consider your target audience when deciding on what stripes or stars you want, when branding your companies new website.

First, the basics, man vs. woman. The biggest rival of all, since the beginning of time. Clearly, if you’re going for a more feminine approach you aim for nice, bright colors. Your pinks, purples, pastels. Now for a more masculine site you darken things up a bit. Go for bold, with greens and blues. Not that this is the law or anything, you just want to grab their attention, as quickly and easily as you can.

Next subject, age. Are you appealing to a child or your grandma? From graphics to text, you need to make sure you’re sending the right message. Children want to see a multitude of colors, cartoon characters, and big glossy rainbow buttons. Your grandma might need less graphics, nice big text for her to read without a microscope, and very clean and simple to navigate. The children of today can easily find their way around the most complex of website layouts, but grandma may need a little more direction.

Now let’s take personal interests. An athlete will have a different take on appeal then a librarian. A person looking for a massage therapist needs something soothing. A customer looking for fine dining wants to see pictures of the delicious food you have to offer. So you want to make sure that whichever it is that you’re appealing to, they understand the message you are sending as soon as they enter your site. A wrong message could send your user in a different direction.

So now we go straight to the source… the internet… to see how a couple companies do it best.

Now this site may just be the #1 example of all time, but it proves a point on a lot of levels. Nike.com doesn’t play around when it comes to branding. They appeal to the athlete. From the grassy background to the dark color scheme, they clearly know who their audience is.

Cartoons, games, videos, oh my! Nickelodeon doesn’t think twice when considering who to appeal to. From the background, to the navigation, to the simple colors, and fairly busy layout, I’d say its clear who this site is for.

Edgey, trendy, hip. MTV appeals to the modern day crowd. Age group is 20’s – 30’s that are fairly up-to-date in culture. Their website says a lot about who they are. Once a music station, that was taken over by a slew of reality TV and raunchy programs, their image reflects what they’ve turned into. My favorite part of their site… keep hitting refresh to get different backgrounds.

What better a way to entice the female viewer then throwing the latest line of inventory at them upon arrival? Coach knows the way to my heart, and probably every other lady that goes there too. From the vibrant colors, to brilliant imagery, they have no doubt what audience is going to their site. How do you not buy something?

Hungry? Well good, because there’s only one option of where to go when you check out Outback’s site. The neutral, yet bright color scheme, and the delicious steak that then transitions into a piece of carrot cake, grabs the consumer instantly. They don’t pick sides, they appeal to everyone! I know where I’m going for dinner.

Looking to relax? This spa site really appeals to the female viewer looking for a day of Zen. From the soothing colors, to the modern layout, it’s very inviting.

Is your website sending the right message?