Our Design Process: Part Three - Design Works
Think Creative Collective is here to help you turn your day-dream into your day-job. We have seen so many countless people discount what they want because they are too worried about how to pay the bills and maintain a steady income. Owning your own business can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be a gamble.
Create your plan, solidify a proof of concept and we can be off to the races. Over the last couple of weeks, we have walked you through what the beginning stages of what working with Think Creative Collective is like.
If you haven’t already we suggest starting here:
Our Design Process: Part 1 – Lattes & Laughter
Our Design Process: Part 2 – Think Creative
What Sets Think Creative Collective Apart
When you work with us you aren’t simply getting a designer or brand stylist for hire. You are gaining your biggest cheerleaders and best teammates. Consider us the marketing and strategy wing of your company. This isn’t just about making something beautiful. We want to make something that is going to WORK for your business. Every move you make, especially as a small business owner, can either drive sales or just confuse your audience. We take a calculated approach to find not only what will be beautiful, but will ultimately drive more business.
Design Works
By this point in our working relationship we will know each other quite well. Your expertise isn’t just something stored on a document left to gather dust. Instead, it is brought to the surface and communicated to the world. As much as you want our businesses to stand-alone and be recognizable all on its own, it is important that your story be a part of the picture. You are the driving force; you are the reason it exists; and you are what continues to bring it life.
Over a latte we started to know each other better. We pushed the communication and thinking farther by giving you the opportunity to analyze and process your personal and professional goals. We outlined goals along with project scope and specifics in your personalized Creative Brief.
Now armed with research and knowledge about you and your company we move into the design and implementation phase.
Your Custom Portal
As a Think Creative Collective client, we create a one-stop spot to view and always know where your project stands. On this personal client portal, you will have direct links to the creative brief, background documentation and a place to store all future iterations during the design phase. We keep your site updated with new documents as we go along. We also update the status so you always know where the ball is (and whose side of the court it is on).
We have found that this process lends itself to easy collaboration. We are firm believers in open communication. And as such we don’t have a one size fits all process. WE understand every person (and every company) is a bit different, so we tailor our time to best fit your needs.
Defining a Visual Reference
By doing the initial legwork we insure that we communicate your message perfectly. However, to continue to make sure it is clear and concise we prefer to start by creating an Inspiration Mood Board if you're a Website or Branding client or a Creative Psychological Profile if you're a brand photography client.
This process too is collaborative. We want to make sure you can still put your own touch and style in every design element. By creating this board or profile we can continue to use it to judge all further design decisions. Does it fit in? Is the quality, tone and imagery captured in the same vein?
You can read more about how we create an inspiration mood board here. And we have some recent examples below!
HERE IS A SNEAK PEEK OF WHAT THINK CREATIVE COLLECTIVE CLIENTS WILL RECEIVE AS THEIR FINAL INSPIRATION MOOD BOARD.
Design that Works
Depending on the scope of the project we may be working together anywhere from a single day to several months' time. Throughout that process we will involve you in all the decision-making. We won’t just show you beautiful design, but we will walk you through our process and how it relates back to your central mission and purpose.
We may occasionally come to a point where we disagree on something. We will advocate for the option that we feel not only best represents you, but will compete best in the market place. We also love to see strong opinions back. Just because we have a reason, doesn’t always mean it is the right fit for you. We respect my clients’ opinions and work with you to make sure the ultimate decision is the best possible fit for you and your company.
Work Hard, Play Hard
So much time and energy goes into making a business. And we believe that little victories should be celebrated. When the time is right we will showcase your vision and designs on the blog. We want others to see the amazing things you are doing and all the hard work we put in together.
