In design, it is always stressed how important having a workflow can be during the creative process. It helps not only organise your work and make it easier to develop and refer back to but also when presenting to a client to get them to understand your thought process throughout and how you came to your outcome.
Organisation is something I struggle with a lot, along with ordering my thoughts and working in somewhat chronological order. This means that a workflow is practically non-existent for me, or differs from project to project.
What I do:
- Notes: This consists of random note-taking across multiple different mediums. I will write down ideas or notes on the notes app, in a notepad, or on my laptop. This makes it hard to compile all the ideas in one area as I struggle to know where they are or that I've even taken them.
- Researching images for inspiration: I create mood boards of pictures, colour palettes, fonts, etc., as seeing everything in one place helps me process what I am trying to achieve and what works well together.
- Start experimenting: I usually jump straight into the work and will continue working on new things until I am happy with how one looks. From there I will keep developing until it is finished.
What I'd use to improve my workflow:
- Planimo: This AI-powered productivity solution would help me organise my day-to-day life, making sure I'm including time for my work but also balancing that with my personal life. Having help when planning my day would help me with prioritisation and allow me to have a plan set out for me to follow, instead of me worrying about how to structure my day and work.
- Bear: This app is similar to the notes app, however, it offers the organisation and simplicity that I need. It would help me with my random note-taking as it can compile them into one area - differentiating project from project.
- Hazel: This automated organisation for my laptop would be a game-changer. I often forget to save things to certain files or areas, meaning when compiling all my work together I am sat for ages looking for each piece of work I've made. This software means I can set up rules and not have to worry about being able to find my work later.
Why these tools?
I have chosen tools that are all organisation based, primarily due to the amount of stress I get from starting and completing projects. Having a more ordered workspace and a set plan would make it easier for me to understand what needs to be done and work through it step by step, therefore making my workflow more seamless.
