As a Designer and Web Designer, I have created a working methodology that starts with the client’s priorities. From paper to final result, get to know the process and make the most of my work.
Note: Article written by Dora Alexandre, Press Hub
Index
Mission: to shape the client’s idea
[vc_single_image image=”22077″ img_size=”full”]First of all, it’s important to emphasize that a designer’s work is essentially a creative activity. For this reason, when I develop a web design or design project, I always need a high degree of concentration and attention. After all, I have the task of building from scratch what the client has envisioned, which is an important part of their project.
In fact, since I work as a freelancer in Web Design and Graphic Design, I can design logos, flyers, brochures, leaflets and posters, as well as any type of website.
In addition, through external services, I also offer Editorial Design, Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Development and Web Management services.
In fact, all these activities must meet the client’s needs. More than that, they must correspond to what the client has envisioned.
It’s undoubtedly a demanding task and that’s why, before starting any project, it’s essential that the client tells me what they want. Precisely so that the end result is satisfactory.
Often, these indications are already defined in advance in a briefing. However, in other cases, I have to guide the client through this process myself. As you can see, this phase of the work is crucial and determines the final result.
The basis of the work: the briefing
In practice, a briefing is a document that explains what the client wants when they contract a particular project.
In general, it is widely used in areas such as marketing, audiovisual, advertising and, of course, Graphic Design, E-commerce, Web Design and Web Development.
In short, it’s a guiding document and the more precise it is, the more accurate my work will be.
From the outset, the briefing should explain the aim of the project and, as fully as possible, answer the question: what is going to be developed?
It is also important to name the target audience, i.e. the type of customer for whom the product/service is intended. At the same time, you should also mention the competition, naming other players operating in the same business area.
In short, the briefing must be succinct and objective, but at the same time contain all the essential and relevant information for the job to be carried out properly.
Throughout the process of developing the work, it will always be an essential reference document.
The first moment: meeting the client
First of all, when a client commissions me to do a job, I need to understand exactly what they want. To do this, there is often a meeting – in person or online – where I ask a series of important questions.
At this point, if the client doesn’t have a brief ready, I take the opportunity to gather all the necessary information. At this point, I ask a series of questions about the company, its audience/consumer and even the competition. Here are some examples:
- What does your business consist of and who is your target audience?
- Do you already have an idea of what you want?
- Can you provide some examples (good and bad) of your competitors?
- What is your goal in creating this project?
- If we’re going to build a website, do you want it to be based on a template, or something created from scratch? And what features do you want?
- Would you like something dynamic with sliders and video?
- Do you need a contact form? A newsletter?
- Would you like to incorporate social networks or an Instagram feed?
- Do you want to include several languages?
- Would you like to offer users the chance to make a reservation?
- If you want a logo, do you prefer a sober or relaxed line?
- Which colours and shapes do you prefer?
In fact, there are many options and decisions to be made. And often the client is not aware of all these options, and it’s up to me to guide them so that they make the choices that suit them best.
The creative process: from paper to digital
Once I’ve gathered all the information I need to develop the project, it’s time to get down to work.
Based on the data I’ve gathered, I propose a due date for the work and draw up my action plan.
In practice, this plan is divided into three stages: the research phase (on the internet, social networks, books, magazines, newspapers, exhibitions, etc.), drawing up the first sketch and, finally, putting the ideas into practice on the computer. In other words, this is where I shape the final work that will be presented to the client.
In fact, each designer has their own working methodology. Likewise, each professional uses a diverse set of tools – both analog and digital – to complete a project.
In my case, it all starts in a fairly traditional way: with paper and pencil. It’s precisely from here that I sketch out the ideas that will later take on a graphic and digital form.
The importance of working tools
As far as the tools I usually use are concerned, they are diverse and depend on the project at hand. In particular, they vary depending on whether it’s a graphic design project or a web design project.
For example, for web design work, although there are other options, as a rule I prefer to use wordpress.org. After all, it’s one of the best-known CMS (Content Management System) in the world. What’s more, it’s free and open source. In other words, it welcomes valuable contributions from a vast community and thus extends its functionalities. For this reason, it allows you to create work from scratch or based on existing templates, whether it’s for an institutional website, blog, portfolio, landing page or online store (e-commerce).
As a general rule, to (re)create simpler websites, I use templates, which are existing formats that can be adapted.
However, to (re)create a website from scratch, the process is different: I design the layout of the website and propose it to the client. In these cases, I only start the programming phase once the client has approved it.
On the other hand, when the goal is to create an online store, I usually use WooCommerce. Likewise, I work in a WordPress environment, on its main e-commerce platform.
In any web design job, I always ensure Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guidelines, a way of improving search engine optimization.
From implementation to delivery
À medida que vou concretizando o projeto, tenho o cuidado de o apresentar ao cliente, para obter o seu feedback. Deste modo, garantimos que a linha de trabalho está no caminho que se pretende. Naturalmente, tenho em conta os inputs do cliente, e faço os ajustes necessários.
Neste contexto, caso sejam necessários conteúdos escritos para incorporar no projeto – seja um site, uma brochura, etc. – posso fornecer esse serviço, através das minhas parcerias.
Por fim, quando o trabalho está completo, é altura de fazer uma revisão final, e fazer as últimas correções. Após a conclusão do projeto, faço o envio para cliente, com toda a informação e os ficheiros originais do projeto.
A par disso, se se tratar de um projeto de web design, ainda forneço ao cliente um conjunto de tutoriais – em vídeo ou texto – para que possa gerir, autonomamente, o site daí em diante. Porém, caso o cliente pretenda um serviço de atualização, apresento fazer uma proposta específica para esse efeito.
De todo o modo, embora seja este o fio condutor do meu método de trabalho, tento sempre adaptar o processo à medida de cada cliente.
Sem dúvida, o mais importante é que, no final, o cliente obtenha o projeto de que precisa, e se sinta satisfeito com o resultado final.
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