Throughout my life I learned a few important things. One of them that always has stuck with me is the idea of the importance of the process. No matter what you do, how you do it and how you get there is just as important as the end result.
The process is just as important as the product. Learning about yourself, taking risks to fail and understanding those around you are just as important as the final outcome of a project.
For me, my creative process is one of the most important assets that I have. With years of education in communication and design, I realize that the process to develop a creative strategy is just as important as delivering a final product to a client.
The Process
While I can’t give away my ingredients for success, because, they are tailored specifically for how I work and what I have personally found to be a successful process for myself over many years; I can provide some kind of advice about this topic.
Start with Research
Develop a process that seeks to understand, evaluate and provide adequate research for whatever you are doing. Research is very important before embarking on any project. Again, let me say this. RESEARCH IS VERY IMPORTANT BEFORE EMBARKING ON ANY PROJECT. By understanding your client, what needs to be accomplished and the goals that need to be met, you can set proper rules and guidelines for yourself and provide your clients accurate expectations that they should have for you and your work.
Let them know
Once you have done your research, let your clients know what you plan on doing. This can be done through a variety of techniques. From wireframes, mood boards, creative strategies and proposals, you can provide your clients an idea of the summarized research you have done. This will provide a mutual understanding of the direction you plan to go in order to reach a successful outcome.
Execute with what you know
Next is execution. With all the quantitative and qualitative data acquired, meetings, proposals, phone calls, emails and understanding of what you plan on doing – you can now execute all of this to your final outcome.
Developing a great final product is what you get paid for. You are being paid to do something others cannot. But, you also need to lay proper groundwork to reach that final outcome. Take pride in the process. Nurture it. Revise it. Constantly evaluate how you do things and how you get the final outcomes and you will continually make your clients happy and build long-lasting