The Creative Process

A series of steps repeated every time you design something.

Why do we follow the creative process?

1. Improves consistency

2. Ability to plan and time your work

3. Raise the quality of your work

4. Communicate more effectively and in a more professional manner

The 5 Steps

1. Research: The more you know, the easier the project will be. 

2. Brainstorm/Inspiration: Striving to be unique and innovative while still following the current trends. Coming up with adjectives or phrases to best describe your project.

What kind of message am I trying to communicate?

Who is my audience? 

What am I trying to tell them?

What kind of color/style with work for this audience? 

3. Sketch: Thumbnails, sketch to get your thoughts out and to work through ideas. 

4. Execute: Implement your ideas. Combine type and imagery, into a well developed composition. Utilize design principles and visual organization guidelines to help. Try techniques, explore possible options, and analyze the outcome. If you get stuck, walk away and clear your head. If the peace doesn't look how you imagined, and it isn;t working. Try another idea forcing an idea won't result in a good design.

5. Critique and Revise: Take a step back and look at your design with an objective eye. Make sure the design effectively conveys the message to the intended audience. If it doesn't, go back and tweak the composition until it does! Asking others for their opinion will help with this process.

Photo Composition

Snapshot A quick shot, spontaneous, taken to record a moment.
Photograph An image taken with care and thought.


Rule of Thirds
(Imaginary lines drawn dividing the frame of your camera into thirds, both horizontally and vertically)
•Place the important subject. or important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.
•Place the horizon line at the top or bottom horizontal divider.
•Fill up the entire frame with the subject for a close up image.


Leading Lines
•Use the lines created within the foreground or background of the composition tho lead the viewer's eye through the photo.
•Lines can draw attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point.


Point of View
•Change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position.

Simplicity
•Keep your background simple and clear of clutter.
•The mood and effectiveness of a photo can be altered by what is in the background.
•A chaotic composition will cause the viewer to look away.