Written by Emily Freed
In continuation with my last blog post about the initial meetings at Promotional Partners, I want to show you how the process proceeds internally through the design department. At Promotional Partners there are two highly skilled, talented graphic designers, Isabel and Miranda. They contribute immensely to the success of each order by helping with the designs and logistics of each request. Each of them brings their own unique perspective to the design process and it is important to show each position.
Miranda has been with the business for fifteen years and her expertise in this market makes her a wonderful resource for designing and other parts of the process. Similarly to Isabel, Miranda highlights the importance of collaboration and how much consideration the client's vision plays in the design process.
According to Miranda, “Collaboration plays a role in a lot of ways. Collaboration with the client is obviously important, they are the ones you want to be the most happy with the outcome. But collaboration from within the team too! Again, different things inspire different people and everybody has a different way of looking at things so talking and brainstorming as a group can create some really great outcomes – some that I likely didn’t even think of.”
The consideration of different types of collaboration efforts and how each of them can impact the design process allows Miranda to come up with the best outcome. Internally, Miranda uses her resources of the other creative minds such as Olivia and Isabel, to think of creative solutions that are practical and still artistic.
As Miranda stated, the importance of the client's input is a top priority so being able to collaborate with them makes the design process a lot smoother. Miranda continues this sentiment by stating, “I always like to take into account the client's requests and preferences. Sometimes those are exactly what I envision, sometimes they are not. So I always like to give clients the best of both – something they articulated they would like and then some options that they maybe didn’t think about.” Having a creative-minded person who values your vision but also gives you more than what you might have imagined is an aspect of Promotional Partners that is unique and valuable.
When discussing the art of the design process Miranda weighed in on some of the past projects that have been challenging and creative. “[A previous project] dealt heavily with photos (not just vector art) and I was not very skilled in that at the time which made the project a bit more challenging. [The] most creative project that I enjoyed might be some shirts we did for Cross Country years ago – they wanted a retro design and I LOVE retro but I also like designing t-shirts.”
In continuation with how important this part of the process is, Miranda emphasizes “The art going on the product can have a HUGE impact on the final product. Cool art makes a much cooler product! I like to think clients notice our efforts to guide them in the design and product selection process.”
A creative design could make or break a final product, which is why our team uses many
different sources of inspiration to come to the final product. In Miranda’s case, she says her brain “analyzes fonts, colors, logos pretty much 24/7." She continues by stating, "might drive my husband a little nuts because he really doesn’t care that I think so and so should have used a more creative font instead of Ariel. But all that analyzing I think makes you a better designer when you do get the time to really be creative! You feel so inspired by the everyday things you see.”
The design process can be different for every artist, as seen through our two graphic designers at Promotional Partners. However, this process always requires creativity, collaboration, and insight into the market. The expert designers at Promotional Partners provide a personal touch to every design through their own unique experiences and conversations with clients. This sets the designs apart to the next level and ensures that the final product elevates your brand's message through the visual images.