What does a graphic designer do?

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT A GRAPHIC DESIGNER DOES?

Before, I didn't like going to the plaza to buy because I had no idea how to order things; Can you ask the fishmonger to clean your anchovies? Is half a kilo of pumpkin a lot or a little? Do carrots always go in bunches or will they also give them to you alone? ... Over time I have discovered that, if you ask, the people at the stalls respond delightedly.

Saving the distances, something similar happens with commercial graphic design. I find myself in confusing situations that are a consequence of the lack of information. Many people do not know what my work consists of and do not ask. They prefer to keep a safe distance from this professional sector (in case we bite) or to act on preconceptions. 

On the other hand, the people who work in this field also tend to assume that whoever requests our services knows exactly what we do, and this is not always the case. This leads to absurd situations that, extrapolated to another profession, would hardly be acceptable.

On "the hard life of the graphic designer" rivers of bits run on the Internet ...

As the problem is already localized, we can begin to provide solutions.

SMALL GUIDE FOR CLIENTS

I am going to briefly explain what my work as a graphic designer consists of, how I do things and what is the value of my work.

People who are dedicated to graphic design work with the relationship between image and meaning. The more we know about this relationship, the better professionals we are.

We must handle the necessary software with ease, know the theory of colour, have more or less deep notions about typography, weights, composition, printing systems ... In addition to other technical knowledge, with more or less specialization; code, photography, illustration, animation, etc. All this is necessary to practice but it does not make us excellent professionals. The images that we create with all these tools have to inspire, transmit and motivate; this is essential.

And how do you get that? Well, with culture (in the broadest sense of the word), with notions of semiotics, of art, with the capacity for observation, with experience, with curiosity, wanting to play, experimenting, working and enjoying the process.

A designer is not an enlightened person, she is someone capable of making aesthetic decisions that meet certain objectives, and that is not improvised.

HOW I WORK

The process varies a lot from one order to another but I will describe a typical situation in which we have to create a visual identity or a logo (logo, isotype, imagotype or isologo ¬¬).

First I get all the information I can get about a project: what it is, what needs it has, what wishes, what people do it want to reach, what places ( target, market, strengths, weaknesses, ...). Before exposing a project to the world, it is better that these things are considered by the person requesting our services. Think that having a strategy always helps to invest energy where it is needed.

From this information, I prepare a detailed budget, with delivery conditions. Leaving the employment relationship as clear as possible from the beginning makes everyone feel much more comfortable.

HOW MUCH CAN IT COST ME?

“What you charge doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how many hours a job requires or how difficult it is. What the customer wants to achieve sets the price »

The objectives you need to achieve will define how much what you ask costs. It seems that the logo of the London Olympics cost 625,000 dollars and there are websites that advertise logos at € 60… ¬¬. I am not Wolff Ollins but for less than € 300 it is not worth the effort, and I am talking about very simple cases.

When it becomes clear to me what the person or the project needs from me, I start to investigate.

I look for examples of success or similar cases to the one I have in hand and I become familiar with the language and the symbolic universe of the medium; A website about flamenco does not use the same visual codes as a promotional material about engineering, the butcher shop Fany Navarro and Arún Tacto Consciente have different communication needs. On the other hand, if you want to propose something new you must first know what already exists.

During this research, I am collecting images and ideas that will serve as inspiration. I usually share this collection with my client. In this way, we can specify the path that the design of your graphic identity will take.

AFTER STUDYING I START TO CREATE

Here the possibilities are endless. Explaining how the creative process happens is not very funny, living it is. Pencils, blank screens, good music, psychedelic drugs, ... each creative does it in her own way, or in many ways, what I can assure you is that a lot of attention is devoted to this part of the work. What brilliant idea can come up in a short time? True, but there is baggage behind it that allows you to realize that you have just found the key. Typically, you spend a lot of time discovering something really good.

From this creative phase will come some interesting proposals that I show.

I ask the people who hire my services to express themselves freely; what they like the most, what doesn't work and, most importantly, why. At this point, we decide on a path to continue investigating a little more or some modifications.

When I have a more defined image it is reviewed again and colour variations and other possible combinations are tried.

I usually show the proposals to people from different sectors to test them during the process.

This is the trickiest part of the job.

As a client, you have a lot to say about the image that is going to represent you. In fact, it is very important that you feel included / or in the process. That said, I recommend a series of preliminary reflections:

-You have contacted that designer, designer or studio because you trust their professionalism; You have previously seen his portfolio, the work done, and you have given him value at his discretion.

-Let's try to forget about the ego. The important thing is not whether I like it or you like it. Will the people you are targeting like it? Does it meet the objectives?

-The person requesting the design services should not worry about choosing a colour or the size of the elements; it is best if you raise the problems and have the designer take care of answering you.

A project in which these factors are not taken into account usually slows down and becomes unnecessarily expensive.

When we find the unequivocal visual identity (memorable, expressive, functional, enduring in time, distinguishable and scalable), I document the necessary requirements so that this visual identity is not distorted with the different uses. This corporate identity manual varies a lot according to the needs of the project, but it is essential to record the value of the corporate colours, include the typography, the different versions of the image, the minimum reduction to which it can be subjected and the safety distance. Then I scratch my face with a prickly pear when I see what people do with the graphic image in which they have invested time and money ... although that is no longer my responsibility.

The budget will detail the elements included in the delivery of the work. The essential thing is the editable files of the corporate image, other formats of common use previously agreed, a basic manual and the files to install the fonts if necessary (there are people who make a living from creating them, so it is my responsibility as a designer to make the arrangements to be able to use them).

The result of the work must connect with the defined public, must inspire confidence in the project it represents and encourage people to take part in it. For all this, it is necessary to make aesthetic decisions that take care of the investment of the person who trusts me. I take this trust very seriously and I really enjoy my job. I hope this information helps you enjoy it too. I'm Rose, stay tuned!