I first wrote this post in September of 2017 and nothing changed in regards to inspiration process for me. One of my favorite parts in any project is gathering inspiration. Exploring beautiful designs and photos, discovering new art and artists, is always a fantastic experience.
If you are new to designing your visual identity, I recommend reading How To Style Your Brand, by Fiona Humberstone. It's a beautifully written book, with lots of examples and photos to help you understand the branding process easily.
My Design Process Basics
Like with every designer, with the years, I learned what works for me and what doesn't. These were also what worked best for my clients.
When I first started, I presented 6 or more initial concepts, then I started presenting three, then two, and today I give the client one concept only. Where before I avoided calls and tried to keep communication through emails only, today I schedule multiple calls, have an audit of the existing brand, hold a brand clarity session, a web design strategy call, a kick off call, and a project closure call with shared screen.
Through trials and errors, I learned that it's better to dedicate more time asking questions, giving my clients clarity, and understanding my their needs in order to successfully achieve their brand goals; I learned that multiple concepts is a confusing rather than helpful process.
The more choices you have, the harder it is to keep a clear image of brand identity.
The Inspiration Gathering Process
Although many parts of my process changed, the basis of the initial inspiration phase remains the same since 2013 or so: Pinterest. Because there's no other tool that has such great amount of beautiful images and is that rich in variety. The process is simple:
After our initial call, the client receives the homework of creating an inspiration board on Pinterest.
I spend a full day researching other visual inspiration that match what the client has initially presented, refining the board, and finally creating the moodboard.
I used to have the client involved on this process much deeper, where we refined the board together. But it made the process longer, and went back to the issue of the more choices, the harder it is to choose things. So I removed the client from all but the initial step. From there, I take creative direction of the project.
Some people are creatives at heart and curious designers. If that's you, I have consulting and coaching programs to help you develop your visual identity and branding. Or, if you would like to work with a professional to get the final product ready to go, get in touch and we'll work together to build your lovely and unique brand identity!