From the initial touch of creativity to the final details of a created design, the graphic design process is a fascinating journey of exploring new things. Understanding the whole process needs a deep look into the development of concepts, digital artistry, and interaction with clients.
The overall design process requires strategic thinking, problem-solving, and detailed execution. A well-executed graphic design process can turn the ideas into captivating visuals that deliver the message effectively to the target audience. It’s important to follow the whole process while designing a logo, website or any kind of marketing material to have the best results.
In this blog, we will check some of the ultimate 10-step graphic design processes to help you create some of the exceptional designs for your next project.
15 Graphic Design Process Steps
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Understand the Brief
The very first step in the graphic design process is to read and understand the brief carefully. A good brief includes the client’s details such as what they do, to whom they market, and their contact information. You could also use the brief to know why the client commissioned you and what they are expecting from you.
The brief will inform you on the kind of look and feel that the client wants and the right mood for the assignment, including the color scheme and font size. The brief also highlights the task’s delivery time, which will help you make the right decisions.
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Research
The brief is like a building block for the project, the next thing to do is to research the topic to have a better understanding of the target audience. Also, look at what competitors are doing as this will help you gain insights into what works best or what not. Here are a few things to consider during research
- What is the product, service or campaign for which work is required?
- Who is the client and what decisions for design have they took in the past?
- What are the competitors doing for the same product or service?
- What attracts the target audience?
Researching these things will be very useful and it will give you the knowledge needed to deliver the work for your client.
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Brainstorming
Once you are done with research, the next thing in the graphic design process steps is brainstorming. This is the time to show some creativity. Designers create many ideas and experiment with different styles, colour palettes, and typography to meet the needs of clients.
Making a few preliminary ideas through digital tools helps designers to experiment with many other things. A few helpful techniques during this stage include
Mind Mapping: Developing a visual map of a few ideas to bring up new ideas.
Mood Boards: Collecting experiential information from various sources for input to the creative process.
Brainstorming always helps to develop amazing ideas and avoid some common design solutions.
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Build a Design Strategy
After you are done with the brainstorming, it’s time to develop a clear design strategy. This stage includes the refinement of the best ideas from the brainstorming session and organising them into a plan. A design strategy provides direction, hence ensuring that the design is good and according to the objectives of the project.
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Sketching and Wireframing
Another step of the graphic design process is wireframing which is important for projects that involve complex layouts, like websites or mobile apps. For minor undertakings, conceptual, hand-drawn and preliminary design concepts suffice.
This is a pre-design stage that involves designers outlining the framework of a design without being overly specific. Designers and clients alike benefit from drawing up a ‘wireframe’, as this provides a general overview of the layout and structure before deciding on the final design.
In a wireframe, most key areas to concentrate on include:
- Layout and Composition
- Spacing and Alignment
- Location of text, images, and other important features
Such a step would give opportunity for early feedback and make sure both the designer and client are on the same page before proceeding.
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Design creation
The design will now come to life. A digital design tool such as Photoshop Illustrator or Figma assists designers in turning the wireframes and sketches into full-fledged designs. This is the creative process, and the graphic design process is finalised here.
- Prime things to be done in design creation
- Select the colour palette defined by the brand.
- Select a typography that should satisfy readability and style.
It integrates or employs graphics like iconography, illustrations, and photography. It must continually reference the research, brief, and design strategy right from the start so that at no point does it lose sight of the design toward the project’s goals.
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Review and Feedback
Once the draft of the initial design is done, it’s time to send it to the client to get a review of the work. The feedback thing is important in the graphic design process because it helps you to know about any concerns or changes from the client.
Open communication between the designer and client is key to refining the design until it meets the client’s expectations.
Some tips for managing feedback effectively include:
- Be open to constructive criticism and embrace changes that improve the design.
- Clarify ambiguous feedback to ensure you understand the client’s needs.
- Keep revisions organised and structured to avoid confusion.
A smooth review process helps ensure that the design is both effective and aesthetically appealing.
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Revisions and Fine-Tuning
With the input from the feedback, the designer makes the changes required. A step to be taken during the graphic design process may include tweaking the layout, adjusting the colours, changing the fonts or changing any visual elements. Therefore designers should carefully manage revisions so as not to create extra changes that might harm the initial idea.
The rounds of revision go around several times before the client is fully satisfied. Each round of revision should bring the design closer to perfection but not forget the original objectives.
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Final Design and Approval.
It is during revisions that the design will take its last form. The final output must have been polished so that every detail is perfect. Before the submission of the final output, double-check to ensure the following:
- Make sure that all texts are proofread and corrected.
- Make sure that the design elements are oriented and proportional well.
- Test it in various formats such as print, web, and mobile devices for compatibility.
After the last meeting with the client to agree on the final production piece, it then goes into production.
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Delivery and Implementation
This is another step of the graphic design process: delivery of final files and implementation. Deliverables might include these types of files for
- Print-ready logos, brochures, or packaging.
- Optimised files for the web; downloadable web-ready files and/or other digital marketing campaigns.
- Source files (AI, PSD, etc.) for future editing and amending.
Sometimes, designers might even assist in the execution, like uploading designs to a website or preparing files for printing or putting together guidelines for later use. That way, by the final stages of completion, the design remains intact.
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Quality Assurance
Quality assurance or QA is one of the last stages wherein the design is checked to be flawless and of superior standards. In this stage, designers will look for every pixel of the design so it has not been overlooked or left something that pertains to the client’s specification. This can prevent costly mistakes from happening in the digital or print formats.
- Graphic design QA may include:
- Alignment and legibility of text
- Verification that colour codes are identical across all versions
- Verifying the web design on multiple devices
A thorough QA phase helps avoid future irritations and ensures that all aspects of the design are achieved.
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Relation with Developers and Printers
If the project encompasses one or more web development or print, it’s accompanied by collaboration with teams that are pertinent to it. For digitally created projects, designers have to collaborate with developers so that the design is implemented as intended.
If it’s a printing project, then developers should make sure colours, fonts, and even layouts appear exactly as they have been intended.
In this graphic designing process, it helps to ensure that the transition from the design process to the execution process is smoothly carried out. Proper instruction, file format, and specification will ensure the correct execution of the design by any developer and printer.
Conclusion
In a structured graphic design process, one obtains great results that match the objectives of the clients and also gets an extra advantage in this age of great competition in the market. From the understanding of the brief to research, creation, revision, and implementation, the tasks are great helpers to finally achieve the goals of the project.
A well-defined process, therefore, does not only makes a designer’s job easier but also makes sure that what is produced finally is that for which the client has been looking: it fits his or her vision and touches the intended target of the audience.
By following these 12 steps, graphic designers can make their work visually appealing functional, efficient, and effective. Whether a designer with years of experience or a newcomer, streamlining the graphic design process always yields better results with happier clients.