1. Describe, analyse, distill.
Having developed my skills as a graphic designer for the past 6 years, I realise that I am proud of who I have become and how I got to this point. Over the course of my 6 year journey, I have learned more about who I am as a designer and also begun to craft certain processes to help me solve problems using my skills in design. Each part of the process is important to creating a clear and cohesive design. Having identified an effective framework that is suitable to my style of approaching a design, I have finally understood the importance of taking things step by step. The process I have crafted for myself is simple but efficient: I simply list down my observations, insights, and opportunities. I categorize these 3 steps as “preliminary research”.
To begin a brief, I first observe what my brief is about, what my client wants and expects, and what the brief is asking from me. During this period, my research and observation also include conducting surveys, creating user journey maps, internet research, identifying different touchpoints of the target audience, etc. This information in turn gives me valuable insights that can be made, which allows me to further understand my brief. For example, if my brief were to sell pet food to owners, I would not know how to do so, because I myself am not a pet owner. Also, my own personal opinion may vary from that of others. By collecting more information from different types of people, I am able to learn different perspectives that others may have, which would then give me more ideas and insights as to how I may approach my brief. With my newfound insights, I believe that with some creativity and hard work, I would be able to think of some engaging and effective ways to complete the brief and fulfill my client’s needs.
I very deeply value this process of preliminary research, as it helps me see things in a new light. Design should be inclusive, and there is no way that I would be able to complete a brief that would be well-received if I do not even understand the target audience I am trying to reach out to. I also firmly believe that idea is king, and try to incorporate this mantra into all my works. Without the idea, the project would just be “art”.
2. Reflect, interpret, evaluate.
Having proper procedure is important to creating a good completed project. Without proper procedure, things start to get messy and it is possible to lose sight of what your project is truly about. When I first started out as a graphic designer, I did not know how to properly tackle a brief. As a result, although I had ideas, they were often scattered and chaotic. I would come up with ideas, not knowing how to carry them out or how to execute them. I often talked to my teachers to share with them what I had in mind for a certain project, and doing so would help me untangle my thoughts, propelling me to complete my work with greater efficiency.
As a university student, when working on the major project, I touched on the subject of public transportation in Singapore. I studied and did initial research on the target audience and found many insights. While doing some competitor analysis, I found Citymapper, an existing award winning transport application that already has working solutions to the problems that I sought after. However, Citymapper’s biggest problem was it’s lack of presence in Singapore. This was exactly the opportunity that I needed to approach the problem from, and thus, I planned and designed a brand awareness campaign.
3. Synthesise, connect, project, propose.
Therefore, my journey thus far has been somewhat arduous, but ultimately very fulfilling. With my simple three step process, I believe that I will be able to take up any brief that is thrown at me - as all briefs require a thorough understanding of the topic at hand. Furthermore, taking up this bachelors degree has taught me even more skills that I have added on to my processes, making me a more efficient designer. The collaborative aspect to many of the projects has allowed me to learn from my peers that come from various disciplines of design. All in all, although my time in university is coming to an end, I am grateful for all that I have been through and learned, and believe that I will continue to grow as a designer as long as I continue to apply these skills to whatever that is thrown my way. Becoming a better designer is inevitable in making sure I am ready to face the clients in the future.