I just wanna start off by saying that I strongly dislike this topic.

I get that every design has a process and stuff, and when I’m forced to go through one it USUALLY pays off but I don’t have a set design process. A design process (my process) depends on the project, and mine is usually very sloppy.

I’m conceptual, more so than visual, so I can never start anything without a concept, a story that I make up myself. Everything else just kinda happens. I think of this, I make this. I think of that I do that thing. I’m intuitive, I just jump into the thing I’m doing based on that. Not organization or a set thing.

Example A
My most successful work (school mostly), usually happens very last minute. I procrastinate until I cannot anymore, and it usually works out. Like, if I try doing anything before I have the idea or feeling or drive (?) for it, nothing will happen. But the whole time I’m not making anything, I’m thinking. Constantly idea brewing in my mind, even subconsciously until I have that AHA! moment and get into it. I’ve been doing this for my internship as well, I’m not proud of it but it’s so flexible, and they’re so vague, AND I’M NOT PAID and they’re happy with what I give them. So that’s that for now.

Example B
My senior project. We are forced to have a big 9×12 sketchbook, and we have to be filling it with stuff constantly. We’re supposed to have 8 meetings with our advisors and if you don’t come with your sketchbook and a sufficient amount of work, it doesn’t count as a meeting.

I didn’t start off well with this. I’m not accustomed to using sketchbooks, I just don’t. I didn’t know how to start and time was passing and I wasn’t doing anything and I was panicking. It felt forced and unnatural and I’m still not too happy with how my project ended up because of it. But I also feel like I don’t have enough work, but when I look back at this sketchbook I can see the actual process of my work that I don’t typically save or can’t usually trace back in other project. And this sketchbook is almost completely full, I’ve actually done a ton of work.

I know when it comes to and actual job I probably will be screwed in the beginning though.