My General Process for Client Work
Inquiry/Briefing
To get started, I ask that all potential clients fill out a project request form. This questionnaire is is a jumping off point for me to begin thinking about the project. I send a reply to all inquiries within 24 hours.
Meeting
We meet (in person or over a video call) to discuss the project goals, as well as the bigger picture of the business or organization. I ask follow up questions that did not fit in the brief, and break down my design process for the specific project.
Proposal/Agreement
After the meeting, I send over a proposal document for the project. This includes the project process, cost estimates and a timeline with milestones. Once accepted, we review the details of my freelance contract and I collect the initial project fee (typically it's 50% of the total fee).
Discovery/Design Process
To get a better understanding for the project, I immerse myself in the given industry, asking more questions to the client and trying to soak up as many insights as possible. I conduct research through various ways to learn as much as I can about the product or service and it's competitors.
I start the design process by creating many quick thumbnail sketches to generate ideas. This unfiltered brainstorming time is so important, as the first ideas are never as strong as the combinations of those ideas. I continue to develop and refine the sketches by hand over multiple days until I have reached my single best, objective solution. I scan my drawings and onto the computer for vectorization or to add color/texture/effects if necessary.
Note: My intent is to ultimately solve the problem and not to create more problems, so I don't provide multiple options. After all, it's not about preference, it's about what works.
Presentation
At the end of the project, I provide a comprehensive presentation of the final product, complete with an explanation of the design decisions I made along the way. Once the final invoice is paid, I send over all the final designs in high resolution / vector.
If you have any questions or would like to initiate a project with me, please do not hesitate to reach out. I would love to hear from you!