Every designer works differently and has their own special process of creating, but there are three main steps that many designers follow in order to ensure a streamlined experience. Here are the steps that I find myself (and fellow designers) following most often:

1. Write:

When embarking on a design project, writing comes first. The client needs to describe the perfect outcome, and the designer needs to write how they plan to accomplish that. The problem with only talking through a project is that there is no longer a solid neutral reference point. When starting a project, writing from both sides is the first step so plans and expectations are clearly defined from the beginning.

2. Draw:

Now, it’s the designers turn to take control narrowing down options to reach a single plan of attack. Some designers take time to create thumbnail layouts or sketches. The length and nature of this step depends on the type of project, and designers each have their own way of approaching this. For instance a logo or formal invitation may require more sketching and visual planning than a social media graphic. This allows the designer to run through many possible options and narrowing them down without wasting time running them by the client.

3. Create:

The last and most time consuming step is creating the final design and making revisions. The severity of revisions is dependent upon sticking to the first few steps, so if you get to the end and don’t like the outcome, start again from the very beginning.