There is no mystery or magic wand-waving in the world of graphic design. Great design comes from work. Brainstorming. Researching. Sketching. Erasing. Drawing. Outlining. Vectorizing. Coloring.
Our design process usually starts with some form of an inspiration board (Google Images serves just fine in some cases), a pencil, a few Micron pens and our trusty Field Notes.
The sooner we can start putting ideas down on paper the better. As any creative can attest, if we’re not careful countless hours can be spent (read wasted) in our own minds if we allow.
To combat the paralysis by analysis phase we find it beneficial to start sketching asap! Draw something. Erase something. Repeat.
Here are a couple of photos of our process on a recent design we affectionately call “Monday Funday.”
This specific piece started with a collection of inspirations (the work of Christian Watson, 1920’s America, Boardwalk Empire, and skeletons). After spending some time sketching out a few ideas with pencil, we traced the design in pen. After erasing all of the pencil marks, the design is then scanned, and brought in to Adobe Illustrator and vectorized.
Last, but certainly least, we bring the finished vector in to Photoshop, where we add color, texture, and style to the design, bringing us to our finished product!
