In today’s technology-driven and behavioral-based marketing, creative design holds the center in various ways. Firstly, your target audience demands a creative way to win their attention if they must spare a minute to understand the value in your offering.
In addition, the internet is already clogged with so much content since every business owner is doing all they can to find their space and make their brand visible. Hence, you must ensure that you stay at the top of the competition by offering lively content.
By lively content, I mean a blend of visuals and text to bring out your message in a simple, attractive and concise manner that helps your target audience to find the information they are looking for easily and in the shortest time possible.
If you were looking for a quick fix recipe, would you prefer reading through wordy paragraphs devoid of images, a quick tutorial or a step-by-step guide with visual representations? In the interest of time, the wordy paragraphs would be the last option for you. But why?
Because the goal is to find a solution for your problem instantly, if that is possible.
This article guides you through the process of developing professional yet unique creative designs for your business.
Develop And Launch Your Creative Design In Six Easy Steps
So you have invested hours in training for a creative designer professional but have no idea how to get started with a client’s design? Not to worry, here is a step-by-step guide to launching that design:
- Schedule a client meeting
- Conduct research
- Sketch out ideas
- Create variations of concepts
- Present concepts for feedback
- Deliver and launch
Let’s get your design flowing with the details
Schedule A Client Meeting
Regardless of your level of expertise, if you get the client requirements wrong, you end up with a wrong design. There is no accuracy in design without a clear understanding of the client’s company, the motivation behind the project and the objectives of the project.
Hence, instead of assuming and jumping into the project, why not meet with the client, gather the requirements and seek clarification where necessary? Which is better- investing hours in developing a wrong design, or taking time to understand the client’s ideal design?
The latter, of course. There is no gain in developing a design that doesn’t meet the client’s expectations. If you get the requirements right from the beginning, then it saves both you and the client time.
In addition, discussing the design requirements with the client instills confidence and trust in your service and makes the client feel involved in the project. It also establishes a relationship and increases the chances of working with the client in long term projects.
In a nutshell, at the end of your meeting with the client, you should:
- Understand the client’s company
- Understand the client’s motivations
- Understand the client’s expectations
You can ask the client to share a brief of the company’s products or services prior to your meeting so that you can have all your questions in order when you meet.
If you can have a physical meeting, the better. But you can also schedule a virtual meeting and still meet the agenda. The goal is to understand the client’s requirements in detail to avoid a back-and-forth of change requests.
Conduct Your Research
Some clients include their brand colors, font styles and design themes in their brief which makes it easier to understand their requirements.
On the contrary, some clients are new in the industry and would appreciate your guidance in the industry’s theme designs, fonts and colors. In such a case, you need research as the basis to understanding the client’s industry.
Besides understanding the client’s industry, researching on the client’s competitors is also critical. Competitor’s designs will insight you to the client’s expectations and the industry generally.
Sketch Out Ideas
Once you have understood what the client is looking for, it’s time to sketch the concepts. You can begin your sketching of paperwork as it helps you notice minor but significant details.
Next, implement the paperwork sketches on your computer. Creating different concepts is advisable rather than limiting the client to a single concept. With up to three design concepts, the client has the option to choose the one that best fits their requirements.
Presenting concept options to the client also adds credibility to your skills and motivates the client to work with you in the long-term.
Create Variations
Inarguable, a creative design is more valuable when it can be adapted to different platforms. And what is the essence of a design that can only be printed but is not usable on your website or social media platforms?
You want a flexible usage of the design concept, so it is prudent that you adapt the design to different platforms while maintaining a consistent theme. Let your clients find your designs valuable, as they will have a whole package of creative design variations.
Present Concepts For Feedback
It’s time to present your design concepts to the client. While you can trust your understanding of the client’s requirements, you are not done yet until the client approves the design concepts.
In case of any changes the client would like you to make, then work on them and seek the client’s approval again. You will expect minimal revisions for your concepts since you understood the client’s requirements from the beginning.
Hence, the second look at the improvements made satisfies the client, and you can finalize the project.
Deliver And Launch
Your client’s creative design is ready! You just launched a creative design marketing campaign! It’s now time to share the design variations. Your client will appreciate it if you share the design files in multiple file formats.
Creative Designer Vs. Graphic Designer
Admittedly, creative designers and graphic designers are used interchangeably in various contexts. However, there is a significant difference between the two.
While a creative designer can be tasked with brainstorming with teams to come up with ideas, innovations, and concepts, a graphic designer is responsible for creating digital visuals that meet a specific idea.
Again, creative designers are especially dedicated to marketing and advertising firms and are relied upon to create and execute branding identities for different companies with design creations including:
- Social media ads
- Online banners
- Product packaging
- Brand identity assets and printed brochures
On the contrary, a graphic designer’s core mandate is converting pieces of information into visual representations. A graphic designer cab:
- Create digital pieces of information
- Craft a direct mail campaign
- Create magazine layout
- Craft ads artwork
In simple terms, a graphic designer is an aspect of a creative designer. You can learn more about the career paths and responsibilities of a creative designer here.
Free Creative Design Resources
Technology continues to make work easier and redefine the creative design approach. While software and tools cannot replace the position of a creative designer, they have proven resourceful in enhancing the designer’s creative ability and skills.
Unless you are building a sustainable marketing strategy for your brand identity, you can create unique and impressive creative designs quickly through free online tools.
Also, even intending to establish your brand’s identity, there are dozens of free resources cutting across free templates and vector images that can complement your team of creative designers, enhance their creativity and save time.
Here’s a quick look at tools that are resourceful when developing creative designs:
Canvas.com
Canvas.com is a reliable source of all-you-may-want to develop creative designs and craft your content strategy. From premium templates to free templates, canvas offers an opportunity to create a confident design strategy for all your business needs.
In addition, Canvas offers templates for different social media platforms and ready designs that you can customize to suit your business needs.
And if you want an extra touch and feel for your designs, you can subscribe to a premium account and gain unlimited access.
Freepik.com
Whether you are looking for free jpg or vector images, free creative vector templates, or free mockups for your designs, Freepik has got you covered. With Freepik, you can access vector images for customization with Adobe Photoshop or Adobe illustrator.
Thankfully, Freepik offers you options to save you time. You can search for the images or designs you are looking for or filter from the different categories available.
Also, you can subscribe to a premium account and have access to unlimited packages of designs and templates for your creative design needs.
Pexels.com
You can access free stock images for your creative designs from pexels, or you can purchase premium images. All you need is to search for the title of the niche you would like to represent, and you will have a wide range of images to choose from.
Postermywall.com
If you are looking for promotional videos and graphics that are readily available, then Postermywall is your go solution. It has a wide range of videos and graphics cutting across all niches.
All you need to do is search for the type of design you are looking for or filter according to the different categories, and you will access designs that you can customize to suit your design needs.
The list of reliable, creative design resources is long, but only the professional creative designer can realize the usefulness of the diverse range of available resources. Notably, the different platforms offer free and premium design packages. What makes the difference?
Creative designers invest a lot of resources and effort in coming up with a design that meets your expectations. While different businesses have different design needs, the essence of a creative design is priceless.
The more resources invested in developing a creative design, the higher it is priced to compensate for the creative designer’s investment. And who doesn’t want compensation for their productive hours of work invested in creating visibility for your business?
Undoubtedly, the value you obtain from a well-crafted creative design is underrated, and that’s what makes the difference between basic and premium design packages.
Even with the wide range of resources available on the internet, you need professional’s guidance to develop meaningful, impressive, and relevant creative designs for your business.
Alternatively, you can explore creative design courses for your learning and professionalism, and you will be able to create valuable designs with the help of the creative online platforms discussed here.
General Overview
A creative designer collaborates with the marketing and sales team to establish brand strategies and hence create a brand strategy. A brand identity is the bigger picture of your firm’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives.
With creative design, you can craft a sustainable marketing strategy and build your firm’s lasting impression through various concepts that are uniquely and creatively put together to communicate the value of your business.
While most marketing firms and agencies have mastered the art of establishing brand identity through digital marketing, creative designers co-exist with marketers to enhance the visibility of your business through visual representations, creative ideas, and concept execution.
If you are looking forward to establishing your brand identity and enhancing the brand’s recognition, our team of creative designers and copywriters can help you achieve that. And if you are unsure of what your business needs, you can contact us to grow your business.
