5 Simple Steps to Getting ALL of Your Business Collateral Designed and in Market ON TIME!

Whether you’re trying to launch a small one person business or you’re building out multiple design functions at an enterprise level, success comes down to creating a framework that will ultimately minimize input and maximize output. And now, as I’ve made the shift from managing volumes of work in a large corporation to launching my own small business I’ve had to reassess and revisit old “tried and true” approaches in order to get the work in the door, properly scoped and then finally executed to the best result possible. I discovered the 5 steps below early on in my career as a design manager and they’ve enabled me to manage tremendous volumes of design work ensuring efficiency for all of my clients. There is a real beauty to them because they work on any assignment at all whether its a simple banner ad or a multi-team effort to launch a corporate brand in multiple countries. If you’re looking to get your brand design process up and running quickly and immediately effective these steps provide the framework. These steps are especially useful when key roles like project managers and account managers are absent:

1. Discussion and Discovery

   Having a proper introductory discussion, whether its a 5-10 minute call or a 4 hour deep dive, can alleviate all kinds of issues that may arise in the creative process. The purpose of this step is to get the client and the designer familiarized with one another on several levels. The client can discuss the design project and how it relates to their business challenge in an open and honest way without having to worry about delivering a list of requirements that may or may not be sufficient and/or to have to translate the business challenge into “designer-speak” which can make many professionals want to run for the hills. Conversely the design team can hear about the challenge and begin to get a feel for how their creative genius can come into play without having to worry about being mismanaged or miscommunicated with. Because the tone is open and nonjudgemental the stage will be set for creativity to flourish.

   Transitioning to the next step:
   “Let’s go and think about what we discussed and then come back and map out a strategy with some deliverables.”
   
   Be on the look out for…
   Mismanaged expectations of the process.

2. Defining Scope and Scale

   While taking the time to review deliverables and timelines can be tedious it’s so important to make sure that it’s done properly. Pulling stakeholders and creatives together to get on the same page with expectations, deadlines and deliverables is absolutely crucial for any assignment and if baked into the process, it will help the teams run smoothly and efficiently over and over again.
   
   Transitioning to the next step:
   ”Now that we’re in agreement on deliverables, deadlines and budget let’s kick-off the assignment and begin executing the project.”
   
   Be on the look out for…
   Individuals who don’t think this is necessary or who want to jump in without taking this step.

3. Design Phase Kick Off

   The design process can wind up going in unintended direction. A solid kick-off with an agreed upon date to do an initial review goes a long way in establishing tone and direction of the project along with turnaround expectation. This step is where all initial discussion about project goal ends and the design begins. Usually the initial review date will be agreed upon by the design team and the client.
   

   Transitioning to the next step:
   ”Once we get the design concept completed we’ll want to get into details and make edits, tweaks and design modifications so let’s be sure there is enough time to get those pieces done by our deadline.”
   
   Be on the look out for…
   Unrealistic expectations

4. Review and Iterations

   As a designer, it’s always smart to set parameters around how many rounds of revisions there will be. Traditionally with I’ve set expectations to three rounds when doing simple collateral work. More complex design executions can be phased and/or broken into multiple segments. But its a good rule of thumb to use that “three round” rule to make sure the designer hasn’t taken on too much and the client gets the proper amount of inputs ready to hand over.
   
   Transitioning to the next step:
   ”Once all tweaks are made and design is finalized we can approve and send!”
   
   Be on the look out for…
   Individuals who don’t realize that approval is a final step and time must be allowed for it

5. Approval and Go to Market

   Once all revisions and edits have been made it’s time for the design team to close all files and prepare all materials for go to market. The client needs to understand what they will need to do after the design team leaves the picture. Whether its a website launch, an ad placement or a finalized presentation deck, clients need to be made aware of any technical pieces they may need to be aware of in order to manage things effectively moving forward. Designers may also need time and space to close down any of their development tools and prepare and package finalized files. This can sometimes take more time that the client expects.
   
   Be on the look out for…
   Any lack of knowledge or understanding about the close out process