The graphic design lifecycle
Despite Do’s aversion to discussing trends, he’s a font of knowledge when it comes to design process and concepts who’s more than happy to share his expertise. And everyone from students and casual creatives to small business owners and professional designers can benefit from his insights.
The right environment
Do says it all starts with setting up your environment to help foster creativity and get your artistic juices flowing. While in some ways that’s been difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic, in other ways the upheaval emphasized the importance of “how we are all connected and disconnected” and accelerated “the need for decentralization” in the workplace.
“What we're finding out is this big, bad idea of letting people be more autonomous and not having to check in on people and micromanage them with a fear that we would be less productive — it’s wrong,” Do says. “People aren’t commuting anymore, they get to maximize their work time, they can have a better work-life balance, and I think that's 150% the catalyst for so many other positive things that happen because of the ripple effect.”
When companies embrace work-from-home models and invest resources on their employees’ comfort and happiness, rather than on office buildings and maintenance, it benefits everyone — but especially creators. “One of the problems with working in a big office is uniformity,” Do says. “But at home you can do whatever you want to be the most productive person you can be, and I think that's a wonderful thing, especially if you're in the creative space.”
But working from home doesn’t mean being shut off from the world around you. The impact and importance of what’s going on around you should inform the design experience. In addition to workplace changes, the past few years have seen massive political, cultural, and economic transformations — from COVID lockdowns and social justice movements to the war in Ukraine and a potential recession, as well as major elections and much more. All of those things influence creative design in big and small ways, Do says, amplifying emotions and communicating with other people.
“We can use our artistry and our creativity to show our support or help amplify messages that we really believe in and resonate with,” Do says. “There's so much room for creative people to express their frustration, their sadness, their connectedness, their grieving, all those kinds of things, through the ways and tools they know best. And that's what I think we saw.”
It’s essential to humanize design and create with intention. It’s all about communicating a message, Do says, and design helps you do that effectively — whether in new and trendy ways or classic and traditional ways.
The right headspace
It’s critical for designers to get in the right mindset to navigate creative blocks. Whether you’re a professional or a casual creative, there are techniques, tips, and tools to help you overcome challenges with ideation and skill. And it all starts, Do says, with writing things down.
When you’re creating work that is genuine and authentic to who you are — and I mean not just your design preferences, but your whole story, your origin, your narrative, culture, and beliefs that filter through your creativity — I think you can't help but to stand out,” Do says. “One thing I've been much more aware of the last 10 years is the power of writing in words. I’m a classically trained, traditional graphic designer — I thought I chose that so I didn't have to write. But the people who stand out the most are able to articulate their thoughts.”
Like the designer and artist Adam JK, Do says, pick up a pencil and sketch first. Sketching can save you time, organize your thoughts, and stimulate ideas. Use thumbnails to avoid getting into a design rut. And, like the illustrator and author Timothy Goodman, remember that content is king — your message is just as important as your final design.
“It's so powerful to be able to combine your aesthetic and design sensibilities with your ideas,” Do says. “If we only limit ourselves to shapes and illustrations, then it's a more limited vocabulary. But when you're able to bring all those things together — the power of words, whether written or spoken with design, topography, and illustration — you're going to stand out if you have a point of view.”
Make a habit of writing and journaling your ideas, Do says. Consume content, have a reaction, form your own opinion. “I find that when I read other people's ideas, it starts to spur my own thoughts. I take a moment to write down whatever it is I'm thinking, and sometimes those ideas go nowhere, but it's good to develop a reservoir of those things. So, as you're working on a project, you're like, Wait a minute, I have an opinion on this.
“Writing is so important because when you write you gain clarity on your thinking — in our articulation we gain clarity and thought. We have to practice that. It's creative people who are used to just making shapes and moving forms around, but we’ve got to practice that writing thing.”
The right technology
When you’ve created the right environment and are in the right headspace, you still need the tools to bring your ideas to life. But it can’t be any tools — and it might not even be tools you already know how to use.
Do uses the example of a hammer. “It’s usually used for building things, but it can also be used for breaking things, and it’s actually pretty effective at both,” he says. “So we need to learn how to use a hammer, what its purposes are, when to wield it and when to put it down. You know the expression — if the only tool we have is a hammer, then all problems look like nails. That means we have to diversify our toolset and to be conversant in everything else that’s happening.”
Often, he says, the natural reaction is that all new technologies threaten existing ways of working and doing things, which produces a fear response.
“What I want to do is encourage creative people, before you become afraid of something and formulate such concrete opinions, give it a chance,” Do says. “Try it out, explore, poke, break it, keep an open mind, and see what things can do. Those that seem to be able to capture the opportunities and create wealth and capital for themselves, are almost always on the edge of what is now vs. what is about to come.
“They explore and push, and because there's little competition and lots of interest, they rise above everyone else, above the noise, and that’s what I encourage people to do.”
Do explains the “trap” that creative people sometimes get into. “We start to think, I can't do something because of this reason or that, instead of asking, What can I do with what I have in the time that I have? Creativity isn't having all the toys,” he says, “but making the most out of what you have. Now designers don't have excuses anymore, because there are so many great tools that are available to us, many of which are free.”
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