Any company, organization, association, or other entity that needs a design project, needs it to create a lasting impression—it needs to rock.
So, today we’re going to walk you through our rockstar method of creating designs that rock —without any of the drama.
Form the Band
The first, and most important step is to clearly define who is involved in the project and who will be the lead singer.
The frontman or woman needs to be able to effectively communicate with all the other bandmates, keep everyone focused, and be the person that can filter all the voices and inputs into an actionable direction.
This is going to be important in the upcoming steps—choose wisely!
Write the Song
This is the fun part. The possibilities are endless and the ideas are flowing. Now is when it is really important to keep two things at the top of the priority list—will this appeal to our target audience and does this represent the brand.
Just like a hit song, your design has a job to do. It needs to resonate with your audience and help them decide to move forward with your unique solution to solve their problem.
So, if we’re going to keep with the metaphor, this should be the repeating chorus—will this appeal to our target audience, and does this represent the brand.
Productively Edit the Song
Once the song is written it’s time to go back through and make any final tweaks. If there is anything that isn’t flowing or connecting with the brand, this is the time to fix it.
This is where many bands break up and brands fall short.
It’s natural for all the bandmates to want to put their personal stamp on the song. And this is where the lead singer needs to come in and determine which revisions push everyone closer to the same goal and which ones detract from the end result.
When it comes to working on design projects, three common breakdowns that happen at this stage:
New bandmates are introduced. This is when a C-Suite person or someone who didn’t have the time to be a part of the project comes into the fold. A fresh eye on the situation can be very beneficial, but someone coming into the situation without understanding the intended purpose and desired feeling the design should create can cause changes that detract from the original goals.
Everyone wants to put their mark on the song. This is natural in any collaborative situation and change is good so long as it works for the audience you are trying to target and the brand you are representing. One person’s strong like or dislike of purple is a preference, not a strategic element of an effective design.
The lead singer loses control. Remember that we told you to select your lead singer carefully. This is because it is this person that needs to be the dominant voice between the company and the designers. This person must be able to bring everyone back to a place that focuses on the initial goals and direction of the project. Too many changes that are not productive will create an ineffective design that no one is truly happy with and it likely went past the desired timeline and over budget.
Keep these three things in check and before you know it is time to…
Sing the Song
Unveiling the final design is incredibly rewarding. Revealing to the world who you are and what you represent will help people connect with you and allow you to provide the goods and services that improve their lives.
Like a great rock song led by a true rock star, your design projects will directly connect to your customers’ needs and emotions.
We hope we didn’t push the metaphor too far on this one. Music has been a huge part of many of our lives at Allen Wayne and we want every brand we work with to get the rock star recognition they deserve.
If you have additional recommendations for an upcoming post or would like to talk more about working with us, picking a lead singer or anything else, please contact us here.
And if you would like to see some of our recent projects, you can view the full Allen Wayne portfolio here.
Our Design Approach at Allen Wayne
Every company and situation is unique, but with each project we take on at Allen Wayne, we partner with our clients. We listen to our clients and actively engage with them to deliver custom solutions that solve the problem or perfectly fulfill their needs.
Bottom line, we’re happy to work with you to help decide if you need a new design or not. We’ll sit down with you and get to the core of who you are and how to best represent your business.
Learn More
We’re Allen Wayne—a full-service creative agency with a diverse, talented team that works strategically and collaboratively with our clients to create phenomenal brands. We crave challenges. We solve problems. We develop solutions. Allen Wayne goes Beyond Design to craft an identity and personality for your entire operation. Contact us today and unleash our creativity on your business and brand.