Design Thinking
My creative process is informed by the discipline of Design Thinking, also known as Human Centered Design. This approach provides a framework for creativity to flourish into innovative, on-target solutions that are rooted in understanding and intentionality. Its principles can scale from small-scope, quick-turnaround production, to long-term, in-depth research and creative development for complex problems.
01. Discover
Seek to identify core needs and goals of the project through research and empathy—what is the current context and desired reality?
The discovery phase could be as simple as taking a few minutes to thoroughly understand a design brief or client request and collect some visual inspiration, as involved as an interdisciplinary research and community engagement initiative spanning multiple years, or anything in between.
02. Clarify
Start analyzing and interpreting the information gathered during discovery. What does it mean for the problem-solving approach?
This might look like creating a brand strategy deck, drafting a problem and concept statement, or writing a research narrative interpreting patterns, themes, cause, and effect. It could also be as simple as jotting down a few notes from the client ask or highlighting key components from the project brief, or anything in between.
03. Ideate
Through a playful and imaginative approach, push the conceptual strategy into a range of concrete, specific ideas
Whether it’s sketching, brainstorming, mind mapping, or another technique, ideation isn’t about critiquing or analyzing yet, it’s about getting ideas and creativity flowing.
04. Develop
Critique and refine ideas generated in ideation phase - toss out the bad and improve the good
This might look like narrowing down sketches to the strongest concepts, pushing those further, and jumping into the software to start building. Depending on the type of work and scope of the project, development might include mood boards, wireframes, test prints, early iterations of a deliverable, or even creating + comparing prototypes.
04. Implement
Use quality craftsmanship and design tools to make the developed idea into a reality.
This stage is about creating the final product to be passed off to the client and launched into the world. Because each design problem is unique, the final solution is unique as well and could look like any number of deliverables— an experience, a brand, a website, a visual campaign… the sky’s the limit. Check out my Services and Disciplines to see the kinds of solutions I specialize in.
Intrigued?
Design thinking can look a little bit different in every project, and the process isn’t always linear. Some projects require greater focus on certain stages than others, and sometimes I’m jumping into a collaborative project where I’m only focused on one phase— for example, maybe the strategy and art direction have already been developed, so I’m stepping right into development or implementation. Other times I’ll carry a project from start to finish and lean equally into all stages of the process. Whatever the scale or scope of the project, design thinking provides a framework for more intentional creative problem-solving that leads to more effective solutions.
