When I was in art school we kept sketchbooks for creating thumbnails of our work. It was the first step in the creative process for drawing, painting, and sculpture. But when it comes to digital art the process is a little different. Sure, there are graphic artists out there who keep a sketchbook and create thumbnails for their designs, but not me. I've found that the easiest and most effective way to design is to dive right into it, and those first designs are like my thumbnails. But before diving into the design, there's something you need to do first. And that's...
KNOW YOUR CLIENTS
That's the most important step in the creative process. Know your client, know what his/her needs are, and know what he/she is looking for in the project. Communication is key in building client/designer relationships, but it's also important in building your project. Sometimes, and I find it rarely, a client will come along with little to no direction and give you free reign of the project. When a client says, "I trust your judgment," those can be delightful times. But they are few and far between, and sometimes even though it can be freeing, it can be frustrating to have no direction to begin with.
So know your clients. Ask them questions. Find out EXACTLY what they want, make educated suggestions to them, and be ready for them to change their minds and often. Projects evolve every time you move your mouse, so be ready for your client to evolve as well, and be ready to roll with it. Clients won't always take our advice, so be ready to accept rejection of ideas and designs. Because at the end of the day, it's not about what design YOU want, it's about the design YOUR CLIENT wants.
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