A Designer’s Research Manual by Jenn + Ken Visocky O’Grady

Author:Jenn + Ken Visocky O’Grady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Published: 2017-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

1. Cooper, Alan, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity (Indianapolis: Sams Publishing, 1999).

CHAPTER 3

PRACTICING A RESEARCH-DRIVEN APPROACH

All designers are familiar with the creative process, but incorporating research methods into design practice, documenting findings, and articulating the value to both peers and clients can present new challenges.

MANAGING THE

DESIGN PROCESS:

YOU NEED A PLAN

All graphic designers and their respective studios move through an often complex process to create design collateral.

Whether the project is print, interactive, or three-dimensional in nature, designers use an established set of procedures to create innovative solutions to communication problems. Many studios offer their method as a proprietary service, noting the value that process adds in the otherwise intangible medium of creativity.

The graphic design process, as traditionally defined, is modeled around the physical creation of a single artifact: an annual report, a website, a poster, an app, and so on. As such, the process is inevitably project-oriented as well as linear—it starts with research and progresses through concept development, prototype, production, and delivery. Historically, the research phase begins with a review of a client’s internal documents, interviews with key personnel or customers, and/or competitor analysis. These actions help a designer better understand an organization’s goals and determine strategy and direction. While these forms of preliminary research are invaluable to a project’s success, they are but an early step in its creation.

Research, as defined in this book, does not merely initiate the process, but rather augments it by integrating systematic investigation into each phase of a project’s development. The research-driven design process also depends on assessment, or summative evaluation, which is undertaken throughout the course of (or even at the end of) a project. This allows the designer to reconsider assumptions gleaned from preliminary research. Using this data, the designer may opt to make adjustments to a design either before or, in certain situations, after production. This process of reevaluation creates a culture of consultation. As a result, research-driven designers can engage in long-term relationships with their clients, acting as strategic business partners rather than service providers assigned to singular commissions.

Graphic design researchers gather information, and use those findings to solve specific visual communication problems. Because each project or commission has a unique set of goals, requirements, and budget and time constraints, it is imperative to outline a plan before beginning the design process. Developing a plan creates a clear framework in which the designer can conduct and vet the investigation. Whether the tactics employed focus on market trends, consumer preferences, or brand perceptions, a comprehensive plan for gathering data will help clarify both the problem to be solved and the resources necessary to accomplish project goals.

Many large design studios or advertising agencies are already billing their clients for research services, and have proprietary processes—the details of which they guard closely from the competition. Numerous small firms, sole proprietors, in-house teams, and freelancers have also outlined research patterns, customized to their resources. Creative processes, whether proprietary or public

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