By Daniel Adebola in fivepoint2 — 17 Nov 2025

5.2.3 Work->Flow

Part 1: Reflection

What parts of my practice make me feel most engaged and creative ?

I find that I am normally engaged and creative when I am in the groove of editing things and make tweaks to work and putting it together. I enjoy that process of knowing the outcome I am trying to reach and then pressing a sequence of different buttons and trying different techniques and filters to try and get to that place , that is when I feel in the flow and find good momentum and excitement. In that main creative process.

When do I ''actually'' feel like I am designing ?

Following on from the first question I feel like I am designing most when I am altering things and applying effects and trying things , when I am actually changing how something looks, That is when I feel like I am designing. For me the parts before and after are like setting up or preparing so that I have everything I need for the design part which to me is the part where your actively changing the look of something.

What pain points do I identify in my own workflow ?

For me work can most definitely get confusing in the first stage which is normally the gathering ideas / research stage. That part normally can put me off doing work for a long time. Also the ''how am I even going to make that'' which I would describe as taking a idea and breaking it down into how I am even going to deliver it and whether it is a job for adobe photoshop or illustrator. How I should approach it when I eventually open those programs also is also a part when I can get stuck and the time that I am spending working on a project becomes inefficient.

What tasks or steps feel like obstacles to designing ?

Research feels like an obstacle at times but I understand it's mandatory part of the process I think I just have to find a way to do mine more efficiently but at this current time I do see it as a obstacle. I like to just know what I am doing straight away and just play with tools and reach an outcome and then refine it until I am happy but ultimately that has just never happened. Research is integral to a good end product it make the projects have more weight to it and now that I am writing this I feel it is something I need to learn how to do better.

Part 2: Research Tools

What tools , techniques, or strategies did I find in my research ? / How could these be integrated into my practice...

Through research I have learnt that I enjoy working with the bear minimum and adding to many application other than what is on my laptop does not really appeal to me. I am not a fan of clutter. However I did find that I could manage things on my laptop a lot better such as my files and have an app for mood boarding where I can just place things and notes around it. I had this discussion with Graham and we discussed the idea of continuous research. Where I never turn the switch off and I either take pictures of things that I can save and constantly analyse in my free time , I feel as though that will open my mind a lot and help me to develop my eye for things that look good and actually make sense.
Milanote - A application I found in my research was Milanote. Milanote works like a mood board type system where you can save pictures to an empty board and annotate them and create groups and subsection to divide further and analyse on a deeper level. Utilising this app could allow for my process to be quicker and a bit more seamless so that I can flow naturally from research into creating and my ideas come of smoother.
Organising Folders - Organising how I store my work on my laptop could help me to declutter my workspace could also help to reduce friction and increase productivity and peace of mind.

Part 3: Question

''It's not just the new tools that creatives must navigate , but a growing loss of control...''

How do emerging tools (Including AI) challenge or change what it means to be a designer and how might your workflow need to adapt ?

I think it's important for designers to find a way to use it for their benefit instead of being so fearful , and it can provide clarity in the many specialities of graphic design to pursue. I think it definitely dilutes the quality of work that will put out but soon I think there will be a subconscious baseline to what is quality and what doesn't reach that threshold no matter how it is made but it will definitely be a ongoing conversation
Honestly I don't think designers should stress over much or the whole things being AI but I do believe ideas should be and will be generated by humans for the most part and maybe become more creative.
I see a designers portfolio of work and background , creativity and branding doing a lot more for designers than it ever has and their own style and individuality aswell. I think that will come to help a lot of designers.