The graphic designer is essentially a communicator of an idea. That idea can be anything from AIDS awareness to a sale on apples at the grocery store. The trick to being an adequate graphic artist is to communicate the idea you were hired to do, and do it clearly and effectively. The trick to being a great graphic designer is to communicate the idea in a way that hasn't already been done to death...a fresh approach...

I. The Idea

There is a process that most designers go through to bring an idea from the concept stage to the finished product. It begins with an idea. The idea is the most difficult part of the process. Once you've got that, creating the eye candy to go with it is a snap!

II. Sketching

Being visually oriented people, graphic designers can take almost any concept and transform it into a comrehensible and communicative design. This process usually begins with the creation of what is known as a thumbnail sketch. These are a series of small sketches, really just brainstorming ideas that will be refined into cohernet design later. These small sketches are called "thumbnails" becasue of their relatively small size. Thumbnails sizes should be roughly in the range of about a 3-4" square.

Type is usually referenced or merely indicated. When creating a concept, write and draw EVERYTHING you think of, no matter how wild or wacky. These far out ideas may not make it completly into a finished design, but parts of them might. A minimum of 10 thumbnails is suggested per project.

III. Roughs

The next step is to develop further some of the better thumbnail sketches into more clear designs, possible even combining several thumbnails into a single design. Roughs are usually done in actual size or in scale to the final desired piece. Here, type is rendered or generated so that an appropriate typeface, spacing, etc. can be determined. Colors are more clearly defined and indicated. Design elements should be clear and easy to comprehend by the viewer so that a final decision can be made about the finished piece. Clients do not normally see this step.

V. Final Comps

This is the step that is shown to the client. It is as close to the finished piece as possible. Computers allow designers to produce comps that look great -- which is what clients expect to see...

It is still possible to make changes at this point. If no changes are required, the comp becomes the final project.

V. The Final Project

After all changes, rewrites revisions and altarations have been made, it's time to produce the finished piece. Make sure what you produce is exactly what the client expects to see. Do not make changes after the client has passed judgement on your final comps!!! Even if you think it will look better in yellow instead of green or in Helvetica instead of Times, always produce the agreed upon final design. I have seen firms lose clients by doing this. Do not oversell. In graphic design, sadly, sometimes our job is not to produce great works of visual art, it's to satisfy a client.

IF the idea you have at this stage is just too good to shelve, and your deadline is not too close, get client approval before going ahead. You'll save yourself and your firm a lot of heartache, money and wasted time. Otherwise, file it away, and save it for use on a future project.