My Design Process

New project, 2 weeks to complete. Extremely short time compared to the 3-6 weeks we can sometimes get for projects. But this would test our time management skills as well as how well we can think on such short notice.

I have a week to think up a concept for the Humber Jazz Studio Ensemble CD. So many thoughts flow through my head. I think the first thing I thought about was how much I really wanted to win this one. Excitement and ideas flow through me. But I have to pin point one. In class is not the time, so I turn to the rest of my friends to see what they're thinking. They too are excited and have ideas flowing through them. We continued our talks as we walked back to the residence.

Talking to them helped me understand what parts I may have missed while I was thinking about the design instead of listening to all the details. I also got a feel for what they were thinking of doing. We had already come up with a colour scheme! Ariel decided that he was going to go speak to Denny himself to see what he personally wanted. This helped us greatly as we were told that he wanted simple and elegant and a matt finish. Ideas continued flowing through us, but I still wasn't ready to start designing anything. I needed my computer.

I'll admit that I forgot about the CD until the next weekend, other projects tend to take over my mind. But I suppose sub consciously I was still thinking about it and getting ideas from talking to my friends as they worked on it all week. I finally sat down on my bed, sketch pad and computer handy. I started to think what Prologue meant. Where did the word come from? What could it depict? I googled the word and found out a lot of different things. I wrote key words and phrases on my paper, occasionally stopping to think and doodle on the side. 

Then it hit me. Prologue is a statement. It's at the beginning of a story. And I knew exactly how to depict a story. I started to sketch out my ideas. Simple thumbnails, but I already knew what it was going to look like in my head. I decided the easiest way was to depict it as a story plot line. That way, the lines would tie the whole CD together, front to back. I had a good feeling about this concept and I ran with it. Monday we had to have an idea and a concept in digital form already. I did not have it done in time, so I went and saw Heather a day later. 

Sitting in class, I saw everyone else's, and I was again amazed at how we can all get the same project and come up with different ideas! Sure, some we similar in a few ways, but they were all uniquely different on how we all decided Prologue should look. I also knew (since I didn't have mine done) that I didn't want to go the ordinary route of just justifying the text or keeping it horizontal, I wanted it to have more movement and make it more interesting. The idea for placing my text on a slant and wonky like it was actually points on the plot line came to me then.

I went home with new hope for the project. I took my learning from Dawn and her grid exercises and applied it to my CD. The result was exactly what I wanted. I was proud to show it to Heather the next day. To my surprise, she liked it too, with little to be changed for next week. After showing some of my classmates, they weren't too sure about my design. It wasn't exactly what he wanted. But I decided that the way he told us about the project, that he himself didn't know exactly what he wanted. So I went with my gut, and kept my design. I just had to convince him that it was elegant and simple, in it's own way, I was just pushing the boundaries a little. 

Next week in class Heather again liked the design and I had nothing to change on it. I was ready to print and show the client. We had 2 days to finish, print and make our designs. We had to meet with Denny on Wednesday afternoon. I was surprisingly not nervous like I usually am. I was confident in my design, I loved what I did. I went in, told him my concept, the reason why I did what I did, and that I pushed what he told us to do. He thought for a moment and told me that it was ok, that I pushed the limits, but still maintained everything he wanted. He had never in 6 years seen anyone use the copy like I did. I was pleased that he liked it and walked out feeling great.

End of the day, I just felt great to have another project finished and out of the way. I forgot all about the CD project until Tuesday afternoon when I got a phone call from Denny himself saying that he'd pick my design. MINE! I couldn't believe it and I didn't know what to say. I had to go in that day to meet with him about changed to the copy and little details that had to be added in. I met with his graphic designer, who is very nice, and very helpful. She helped me make sure that everything was print ready. It's now been sent off to the printers, and I just can't wait to see how it prints out :)

It's been a short time for design work, but I liked it. I'm able to think of things easier and I don't have those weeks to second guess myself. Sure it wasn't as much time as we're used to, but it was a great way to test our skills to see if we could come up with things almost on the spot. I know I've proven to myself that I can do it. 

Quote of the week:

"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless."