The Design Method: A Philosophy and Process for Functional Visual Communication

Feeling uninspired? That shouldn’t keep you from creating great design work. Design is not about luck, inspiration, or personal expression. Design is a disciplined pursuit aimed at producing sensible, functional work for clients. In The Design Method, you’ll learn how to create quality design work on a regular basis that consistently pleases your clients using the same method that Creative Director Eric Karjaluoto uses at his creative agency, smashLAB. The Design Method will teach you a proven, repeatable process for solving visual communication problems.

In this book, you will learn:

Ways to conduct research and gain insight into your clients’ situations

A process for establishing strategies and plans for your projects

How to develop a cohesive concept and visual direction for each client/job

An iterative approach to prototype, test, refine, and produce effective design

Techniques for presenting and documenting creative work

Tips for making your design studio operate efficiently and consistently

Eric Karjaluoto is creative director and a founding partner of the creative agency smashLAB. Since 2000, he has helped a broad range of clients including The Vancouver Aquarium, the University of Minnesota, and The Nature Conservancy with their strategic, design, and communication challenges. Eric wrote Speak Human (Outmarket the Big Guys by Getting Personal), and he writes regularly about design at erickarjaluoto.com.