For centuries, people have tried to figure out how the world’s innovators develop ideas and engineer solutions. Our world is defined by people’s creative genius. Yet, there is something so enigmatic about how the creative process plays out in people’s brains. For example, many have wondered what Shakespeare’s process was for writing Hamlet. Did he bounce ideas off of his peers? Did he share his drafts with the actors who were going to perform his plays and ask for feedback? How many times did he revise his work? If Shakespeare was alive today to answer these questions, it would give us insight into how he transformed words into masterpieces. We might also find that a lot of his techniques were things that people can still apply today. That’s right! As iconic as Shakespeare was, it’s important to remember that anyone can be creative. No two innovators will produce the exact same work, but creativity flows through everyone’s veins.
As graphic designers, we have taken years to hone in on our creative process. Having somewhat of a structure is what ensures that our clients are getting their money’s worth when they use our services. It also keeps us organized and on schedule. In this article, we’re going to share our process to show you what goes on behind the scenes at Paper Lime Creative. Our 5-step process is collaborative, so we keep clients involved throughout the journey. This helps us ensure that they can trust us to deliver, not only in the present but for future design needs too!
Step 1. Discovery
The first step in our creative process is having a discovery session with our clients. What is a discovery session, you might ask? Well, typically it is a one to two-hour meeting in which we ask questions about our clients’ business. Every single business is different and will have unique goals they want to achieve. During the discovery step, we want to get a feel for these goals by understanding the backstory, process, and audience for a client’s business. 
Why is the discovery phase so important? Well, first of all, it’s a great opportunity to build a strong relationship with our clients from the start. Second, it allows us to begin the preliminary stages of tailoring our work to a business. Building a great brand isn’t just about creating something pretty. It’s about creating something that represents a business and its clientele. Gathering the right information during the discovery phase helps us combine these two things for the perfect design.
Step 2. Research
After gathering information from our clients, we supplement it with additional research. This step is crucial because it helps us bring new ideas into the mix and make sure we’re moving in the right direction.
The research phase can involve several different types of research. For instance, if a client tells us that their business is a bakery, we may look up the age and gender demographics of people who buy from bakeries. We may also seek out reviews from people to figure out what they appreciate in a good bakery aesthetic. Another thing we often do is look at parallel industries to get a grasp of what they’re doing to cater to clients. The research phase is broad and the information we learn comes from multiple sources. Papers, census data, videos, interviews, and social media are all avenues we may scour to supplement what we already know about a business.
Step 3. Collaboration
Step three of our process is a fun one: collaboration! At the end of the day, we may be the designers, but it’s the client’s vision that is coming to life. A successful brand encompasses the business’s backstory, and no one’s a better judge of that than the people running the business.
The collaboration step is usually completed as a check-in with the client. After we have conducted our research, we have a meeting with the client to share our research and ideas. This is a great opportunity to ensure that everyone is on the same page. During the meeting, we finetune concepts and figure out what works and what doesn’t so we can get closer to the client’s goals.
Step 4. Creation
The creation step is where we sit down and start crafting deliverables. Before this, we gathered information, brainstormed, and received client input. We did this to whittle down our list to some promising ideas. Now, it’s time for us to put our design caps on, sit down at the computer, and let the creative juices flow.
This process takes us roughly two weeks to complete. Why does it take this long? Well, everything from the symbols to the colours is hand-selected. Not to mention, the design choices we make are backed up by the information we gathered during the research phase as well as our client’s vision.
It’s also important to remember that deliverables can be more than just a logo. Things like secondary images, the brand story, and other elements that contribute to a brand’s identity are all things we create. All of the deliverables we create must exhibit a sense of harmony. For instance, it wouldn’t look very cohesive on a website if we designed a logo with neon pink font but none of the other elements had neon pink in them.
Step 5. Revision
Last, but not least, we arrive at the revision step. After we finish our design, we provide clients the time to give us feedback. Again, it’s the client’s vision that we are trying to communicate, so they have the final say when the design is complete. If they provide feedback, then the design is revised and improved until they are happy with it.
Our Creative Process takes time, but it’s worthwhile!
Creating anything takes time, and great results don’t appear overnight. Shakespeare didn’t write Hamlet in a few hours, but the immense thought and creativity he put into his work changed literature for the better. Likewise, our process takes time, but the result is a fantastic design that meets our client’s needs. In the month it takes for us to complete a project, we can establish a great relationship with a client and curate a brand that fits them like a glove.
If you’re interested in embarking on your rebrand journey with us, give us a call for a free consultation. We’d love to go through our 5-step process with you and create something great!