The Creative Process

THE WONDER YEARS

Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to work in the art industry. This started off as me doodling characters on paper and trying my best to recreate characters from South Park, however, my drawing skills were at a very basic level and, well, they still are today! However, this interest in the arts and creativity space later took me to be part of the music industry. During my younger years, I was able to record two Spanish albums and go on tour through the United States and Mexico to promote the albums. Although I no longer tour, music is still my biggest passion today! So ever since I could remember, art and entertainment were definitely always in my blood.

During the times I was playing music, I was never satisfied with the artwork I was presented for the album covers or merchandise. I knew exactly what I wanted, but a designer was never able to give me that. Therein started my interest and the fire sparked for graphics and multimedia design. So, I decided to go back to school and receive my degree in graphic design to pursue my career in it. It was during my college years where I was able to secure a small part-time job as a designer at a local print shop. There I learned the tricks of the trade and where my entrepreneur spirit started to develop. It was during those years where I said, “One day I will own my own design company.”

conflict

Although I learned much about the print trade during my time at the print shop, something that I will eternally be grateful for, there was still one part that wasn’t connecting. Because the print shop produced quick turnarounds on prints, so was their turnaround in design. I became a fast production designer and I began to lose the very important lessons my professors had taught me in school. I had forgotten how to be a real designer. I had forgotten the creative process in design. I tried to relate to the shop owner about the importance of taking our time with design and respecting the brands we design for and trying to find out more information in order to create and meaningful and impactful design. It was an idea that was immediately dismissed. I get it. We were in an industry where he had quick turnarounds and our success was measured by daily sales. However, my spirit and creativity were in conflict with the need to produce work. It was at that moment where I took the leap of faith and started 7efex.

When opening 7efex, my promise to myself and to my clients was that we would uphold the creative process and create designs that had meaning and followed the basic principles of graphic design: alignment, hierarchy, contrast, repetition, proximity, balance, color, and space. My other promise was to no longer measure success by daily sales, but quarterly reports, and client satisfaction.

the creative process

Many of you reading this might not be designers, and might be asking yourselves, “Hey man, what is the creative process anyway?” It is simply this. The creative process is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve our end goal; in this case, the end goal being a completed design, be it graphic design, web design, logo design, etc. Many artists and designers have their own creative process. Musicians maybe play with scales or listen to some of their favorite artists. Painters might experiment with different paints and mediums. We all have our own creative process. And although they might differ, we all go through a few stages in this process. Four stages to be specific. The preparation stage, the incubation stage, the illumination stage, and finally, the implementation stage. I will most likely cover the meaning of each one at another time since those stages are a lesson in themselves!

why this matters to you…

From creating exploration boards for a new logo to creating storyboards for a video being creating, we always follow the creative process for every client. We get to know and understand the brand first, and then we get to know and understand our client’s audience. Once we’ve gotten to know both of them, then it’s time to connect the two together. The creative process in any major project will go a long way in getting to the design and product the client actually needs and wants. Poor is the designer who is given the task to create a logo for a corporation and jumps straight to Adobe Illustrator and tries to force a stellar design to appear. Without the research, the exploration, the passion, and the love for what we do, we are creating things that do not matter, and I for one, want to always create things that matter.

Your Creative Processor,

Nery Junior