Sometimes it’s easy to quickly overlook serif fonts in graphic design. At least I do. There’s just something in your head that always says “Times New Roman” and you want to get as far away as possible.  Lately, though, I’ve been finding a place for serif fonts and learning to appreciate their unique characteristics and what makes them look so nice. I’ve actually been a little obsessed with Droid Serif lately.  It’s such a clean, well conceived font.  Here are a few free serif fonts to download and try with your next design.

Droid Serif

Goudy Bookletter 1911

Liberation

Mido

Calluna

Recently, I finished reading The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s an excellent book. As usual, David McCullough doesn’t disappoint. There’s a good mix of encyclopedic knowledge and great storytelling.

I’m not going to pretend that I’m some kind of book reviewer. The book was great. I found it absolutely fascinating how the foundations were dug and built. It’s also interesting to note that the Brooklyn Bridge is a one of a kind engineering masterpiece. The likes of which don’t exist anymore. The combination of masonry and steel cabling are one of a kind on such a large scale.

Purchase the book here: The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

Banking with Chase just got a whole lot better.  The only thing that could be better is if I opened up my account online and it was loaded with millions of dollars.  What I’m speaking about is the new improvements to the Chase iPhone app.  You now have the ability to deposit checks from your wherever simply by using their app.

There are two rules.

1. The check can’t be more than $1000
2. You can only deposit a maximum of $3000 per week

The app is extremely simple to use.  All you do is take a picture of the check (both sides) with your phone. The camera is built into the app and is proportioned for the rectangular shape of checks.  On the next day, the money is magically deposited in your account without ever leaving home. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Here are a few screen grabs I found online of the app in action.

It has finally come to an end. The design process and this series of posts. You’ve done your design work, you’ve made all the revisions and it’s time to finish up the project. With most design projects there will be a few loose ends to tie up.

Is that brochure really ready to go to print? Are the colors separated correctly? Do you have the files setup correctly for the printer? Is the website complete? Are all the links working correctly and have you tested in all web browsers…especially Internet Explorer?

Once the project is out the door, don’t lost track of your customer. Check in periodically. Make sure the project went well. If it’s a website, check the site. Make sure it’s working correctly. Ask if they have any questions. If you do a good job the first time and stay in contact, repeat business is the best. Ideally, you want all your clients to think of you for all their design needs.

I took a small break to work on remodeling my office. I’m back and ready to continue the series on my design process.  If you’re interested, check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. This next phase is where you take the suggestions that your client has made to the original concept and “fix” it.

This phase is pretty straightforward.  I do however see two ways to approach this part of the project.  The first, and easiest, is to just make all the changes the client wants.  This typically leads to happy clients. That’s never a bad thing.  You can probably then guess that the other approach is to pick and choose what changes to make.  Many reasons can dictate this decision.  You may have spent too much time and just can’t afford it.  The fixes may be a hindrance to the design. Or, they may just be plain bad suggestions.  Using judgment here is the most important thing. Not every piece needs to go in your portfolio.  You may just have to suck it up and make the corrections. I’ve even changed a piece for the client, but kept my original design or concept as my showcase piece. I go back to the fact that happy clients are the best ones.  They lead to more work and more money.  Which, where you are comfortable admitting it or not, is the main goal of owning your design company. You don’t do the work for free.

I thought about adding this to the Weekly Town Crier for this week, but I didn’t want it to get lost in the mix of other links.  So, enjoy this special Thursday post. Check out the video and see some more images on his website.

Colosseo: Reimagining the Roman Coliseum with type (Canon 7D) from Cameron Moll on Vimeo.

The fourth step in the design process that I typically take my clients through is review. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

After you’ve finished the design, it’s now time to present your work to the client for the first time. Often, this can be the most nerve racking part of the process.  Depending upon your personality, this can be difficult.  That’s why, one of the most important aspects of working in the field of design is to have a thick skin.  To a certain degree, you just can’t worry too much about what other people think. You need to create work that you are proud of, and accept that not everyone will like it.  I’m straying off topic a bit, but it’s important.

Presenting your work nicely can have a huge impact on how the client perceives the work.  Try and mock something up.  If you’re sending a web design, send them the image inside of a web browser window. If it’s a package design, try and mock-up the package and place the imagery on it.  Give the client a taste of what’s to come.  If it’s a logo, start showing some sketches of how it could look on other materials such as business cards.  You need to figure out the best way to convey your vision to the client in a way they can visualize. You’re a designer, you have a vision, you have creativity, that’s why you were hired.  The client may not.  You need to create it for them.

If you know that the client will make revisions, make sure you have some sort of numbering/labeling system in place.  You or the client may need to refer to previous designs as the project moves forward. Clear marking can save some time.

The next phase is revisions, but it doesn’t hurt to start reminding a client of what the limits of the contract are.  I typically will give a friendly reminder when I present the drawings. Let the client know exactly how they need to present their comment or changes to you. Do they mark it up by hand? Do they mark up a PDF? Is it just written out? If they don’t know or don’t have a preference, suggest what process they should take.  Make sure that however it’s conveyed, it’s in writing! If you have a phone conversation, take good notes, then send a reminder email to the client to review what you talked about and what will be done.  It’s good practice to make sure everything is understood clearly so time isn’t wasted in the next phase of the project.

I’ve been writing a series of posts detailing what I go through for the design process (Part 1 and Part 2).  This post will discuss the design.

“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.”
- Charles Eames

How do you design something?  Hopefully by now (you’ve got a contract) you’ve done your research and have a good idea of where you want to take this project.  You’ve got to apply what you’ve learned to what needs to be accomplished.  For me, the best way to start is to just start drawing.  I’ve already got sketches, now it’s time to refine those and start turning them into reality.  This always occurs on the computer.  No matter what the project.

Say for instance I’ve been hired to create a logo.  I’ll begin with one file in Illustrator and draw lots of small design sketches.  I’ll take out what I think maybe are the ten best or ones that show the most promise and copy those into a new file.  Then, I’ll carve that down even more and take the three best from that lot. Those three go into separate files and I start putting some real thought and effort into finalizing them. I’ll try and put together the different variations that I image the client will request. Horizontal, vertical, black, one color, two color, full color, with text, no text…you get the idea.  I’ll even start thinking ahead to how this will look on other materials.  How will this look on a business card?  How will it look on their website? Do I have any ideas that could help me get more work by suggesting how it affects other aspects of their marketing plan?  I’m always trying to think ahead and plan for anything.

Here’s a great example of another (very talented) designer and his design process for a logo.

With those three final versions complete, it’s now time to send them off to the client for review.

Each project will have it’s own design process.  Sometimes, when I’m inspired, I can run with something and knock it out with a great design in a pinch.  Other times, it can take weeks of thought, and drawing, and revisions, and then more thought, then more drawing to get something that works.  I try and tell clients that for me, good design typically means more time.  The more I have, the better the quality of my work. Unless, of course, I find that magical inspiration.

This post is the second in a series outlining my design process.  The first step, in case you missed it was the process of acquiring a project. The next step in the design process for me usually involves researching.  After I’ve been hired, it’s now time to find out what the client really wants and start deciding how to go about doing it.

Where do you even begin? Typically, I begin with the client. There are several methods for gathering information from a new client.  The first, and best, is to pick up the phone. It’s so easy to get accustomed to emails for everything.  More good can come out of a simple short conversation on the phone.

Be prepared for the phone call. I often do a little planning and write down several questions I’d like to ask. This will ensure that you get the information you need. This will most definitely lead to other questions and discussions that you didn’t anticipate.

The second way to gather info is to create some sort of form. For me, every client that hires me to create a website initially is sent a form. I send this before the phone call. Each site has the same questions to start with. If you’re interested HERE is the form I use as a PDF.

After the client research it’s time to do your own research. Maybe the client gave you some examples.  Go check them out.  If the client gave you a style, start checking out other similar projects. The local library or bookstore will have numerous books on design. They’re a valuable resource for ideas and inspiration.

Throughout the whole research process make sure to take notes and to sketch!  Getting some sort of notepad of journal is a must. (My journal of choice is the Moleskine with grid lines.) Make sure it’s legible and well organized. I’ve even sent these sketches to clients as initial design concepts.  It can be a real time saver if you have some sketching skills.

All creative people have a process.   The process I speak of is everything it takes to bring a client’s thoughts or idea to a completed design.  Sometimes, it can be easy.  Other times it can be grueling. Inspiration, creativity and progress might happen fast or you might find yourself at a major roadblock.   The process can sometimes be quite a journey.

I love the comment, “You must love designing for a living.” At that point I usually start to laugh or break into uncontrollable tears.

— Andrew Lewis

For me, I tend to look at my work as having 6 major parts in the design process.

1. Acquiring
2. Researching
3. Designing
4. Reviewing
5. Fixing
6. Completing

Much like a sermon series at church, I’ll be visiting one topic each week for the next six weeks and then finishing up with a conclusion. Let’s get started and learn how it all begins.

Acquiring

First, you need to acquire the design project. I include this because the process of getting a project can have a major impact on the completed design. From the moment you begin communicating with a potential client you are already dictating the course of a design.

At any given time you’ll start learning specifics about the project. You have to in order to come up with a quote.  You’ll try and ask as many questions and gather as much detail. Conversations will occur and design is discussed. The risky part of this is that clients will remember everything. It’s important not to make promises you can’t keep or give unrealistic ideas.

You may not have provided a quote yet.  Don’t talk Ferrari if the client can only afford a Chevy.  Showing your expertise without giving too much away can be key to your success.

Your past projects might even dictate why you acquire a project and what the client wants.

From experience, the most common example would be the client who calls you and says, “I really like that {insert name of old project here} project you did! We would love to hire you to create something that looks just like it.” This isn’t necessarily bad. At least someone is appreciating your work.  Not to mention, you’ve begun with some clear expectations of what the final product will look like.  It might even give you a slight advantage when coming up with a quote. From the get-go, expectations have been set and the process has begun.

What I’m trying to say is be cautious when acquiring a project.  What you say now will have lasting impressions on how the project may run it’s course.  Be careful what you say. Be careful what you promise. This is where the foundation is poured.  The rest of the design process will build off of this.