Before deciding on the final design of any project, you need to go through the tedious steps associated with the design creation process. This is a task that both experienced graphic artists or anyone just trying their hand at completing a print media design project should undergo if they want to end up with a competent project end design. Join us in this article as we discuss 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Choose Your Final Design
To aid designers during this crucial step is a set of questions that when asked will help lead anyone to the favored and, hopefully, fruitful decision-making process. Listed below are the 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Choose Your Final Design. Read them carefully so that you can easily integrate them into your design-making process in the future.
Table of Contents
What is the design theme?
When it comes to choosing a final design for any kind of creative project, the first question that you should ask yourself to determine if that specific design is suitable to be the face of your brand or business should be to find out (or perhaps recall) the project’s original design theme.
This is the first step in determining the worthiness of any kind of design since these criteria allow you to look back and compare the end product with other examples of the same design theme. For example, if you are creating a business card and you chose a minimalist design theme, it should follow that the final card design theme sports an equally simple design. If not, you may have to trace back what happened and what led to this design decision.
Does it serve the purpose I need it for?
Another important question to ask prior to selecting a final design is whether or not the design matches the purpose you intended it to have. Remember, design and functionality should match. A well-designed object is useless if it cannot help in the completion of a specific task.
A good example is the creation of a billboard advertisement design. We all know that a billboard works like a print ad but what sets it apart is its size. If you have designed a billboard that makes use of small font styles, it does not achieve what it is intended to do (unless you are trying to be ironic with your billboard design).
Therefore, you should have a final design that both sports a good design aesthetic and sports a practical purpose.
Where will this design be used?
The next question to answer to determine the worthiness of a specific design is where and how the design will be used. To illustrate, if you were tasked with the creation of a brochure magazine, you need to know what the brochure magazine will be specifically used for. It may turn out that you have created a professional brochure magazine when your client only wanted a semi-formal brochure for their new restaurant.
Avoid confusions like this and make sure that the end design you chose closely matches the environment or situation the final design will be used in.
Does it adhere to the client’s style or vision?
Most graphic designers work for a client. This means that they need to rely on the client’s input as to what they want their graphic design projects to look and feel like. And, often, it is the graphic artist’s job to carefully toe the line of what the client wants and what he or she truly needs.
That is why, before you choose a final design for any kind of creative project, you first need to consult with or recall the design preferences that your client have mentioned. Check your client consultation notes, find out more about their business, or contact them again for more specific design inputs. You may do all these things to make sure that you will be choosing the best final design for any contracted project.
Is this the right typography style?
When it comes with the nitty-gritty of any graphic design project, you should always ask yourself if the typeface family or font styles used in a design fit the big picture project. Typography is very important for most visual design projects so make sure that you get this right.
Before you choose a final design, ask yourself (and your colleagues) if your font style choice is only a stylistic decision or if truly fits the real purpose of the project you are working on.
Are the images relevant to the design theme?
In addition to the typography style, graphic artists should also ask themselves if the images or illustrations used in any given project complements the project’s design theme. Remember, most visual design projects revolve around a single theme. You need to carefully plan out the design layout to make sure that the final design holds up as a whole.
And one way to destroy unity in design is by using irrelevant images or illustrations. You may easily avoid that by only using images that will effectively tell the story you are telling through your design. This skill may take a while to be fully honed. Just continue practicing and applying everything that you learned and the task will become easier in the long run.
Are the design elements relevant to the overall design theme?
Aside from the font style and images, you should also take into consideration all the different graphic design elements used in your design template. This can be logo designs, pop-up elements, paper textures, and a lot more.
Before choosing a final design, you will need to take a step back and evaluate the role of each design element used in any given project. By objectively assessing the purpose that they serve towards the final design, you will begin to see if they are right for the project or not. You can then make any necessary design changes according to the client’s and your preferences.
Is it an evergreen design?
Before going for a final design, you may need to go through and check out a few design sites for inspiration on what constitutes as evergreen designs. For example, you may check out Canva.com, Template.net, and other design inspiration blogs to get an idea of what works and what does not.
Evergreen design is something that has long-lasting appeal and purpose. This can mean that you need to look for a visual design that can easily be interpreted and incorporated into people’s daily lives no matter what year or decade it is.
Ask yourself if the design you have created has the potential to be an evergreen design. If the answer is yes, choose that design and present it to your boss or client. If not, you may have to go back to the drawing board and seek inspiration from other design sources.
Does it hold up to its competitor design?
Another question that you have to ask yourself prior to choosing a final design is whether or not your creation holds up to its competitors’ designs or not. This means that you need to be aware of the different branding and visual designs used by other companies or organizations operating within your client’s field.
You need to make sure that the final design you choose can take on its competitors by being easily recognizable by your competitors. This question can be very important especially if your client wants a quick way to boost his or her brand’s customer recognizability.
Does it make you happy?
As the lead designer, the last question to ask yourself prior to choosing the final design for a specific project is if you are happy with that design or not. At the end of the day, you will have to live with your own life decisions. Do not regret anything in your work life. Only choose a design as the final design if it truly brings your joy.
We hope these 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Choose Your Final Design have been helpful and be sure to leave your comments below.
Useful Links & Great Deals