What Most People Never See Behind What Makes Good Design - Ep. 68
Prefer to listen?
This article is adapted from an episode of Intentional Branding where I talk through this topic in more detail.
Good design is about so much more than opening a design program and making something look good. There’s a whole process happening behind the scenes that most people never see, from the first discovery call to the tiny revisions that make a design feel just right. A lot of that invisible work is what makes the final design successful.
In this post, I’m pulling back the curtain on what really happens behind good design and sharing a little more about how I think through the creative process.
What Most People Never See Behind What Makes Good Design
1. Good Design Starts Long Before I Open My Design Software
When I first started designing, I never took discovery calls. I communicated with clients through email, sent questionnaires, and then started designing.
It wasn't until I added discovery calls to my process that everything changed.
When you talk to a client, you can hear the words they repeat. Maybe they keep saying "simple" or "natural." You can hear the excitement in their voice when they talk about certain ideas. They can also explain their vision verbally in a way that can be much harder to communicate through email.
Those little details you notice when listening is incredibly important.
I want my customers to feel like I can crawl into their mind and see their vision clearly when they can't quite articulate it themselves. I'm gathering all of those little pieces of the puzzle before I start building anything.
I'm listening for their personality, goals, audience, style, wants, and even the things they don't want.
All of that information gives the design a direction.
Perhaps they want something feminine, or maybe bold, or even colorful. Without that initial clarity, there are simply too many possible directions to take.
Good design starts with clarity, not creativity.
2. The Final Design Usually Comes After Multiple Revisions
People see the finished logo or website and sometimes think, "I could probably do that in an hour."
What they don't see is everything that happened before that final version.
There's a lot of time spent refining tiny details:
Adjusting spacing
Moving elements around
Checking balance and hierarchy
Fixing alignment
Refining typography
Making sure text works with surrounding imagery
Making certain components larger or smaller
Reviewing feedback and making adjustments
A new logo revision can take anywhere from an hour to two or even three hours, depending on how clear the direction is.
Sometimes I even have to stop myself from stop making too many changes.
If I've been tweaking something for more than three hours, everything starts to jumble together. That's usually a sign that I need to step away, clear my head, and come back with fresh eyes.
People don't see all of those little adjustments. They also don't see all of the things that don't work.
Sometimes I try something, look at it, decide it's off-balance, and delete it.
That's part of the process.
Good design rarely happens on the first try. It comes through collaboration, feedback, refinement, and a willingness to keep working toward the right solution.
3. Listening Is the Invisible Work of Design
I think graphic designers are more than artists. We're also marketers.
We're taking the client's vision and figuring out how to translate it visually while making sure the design works for their target audience.
That requires input.
The best work comes from good collaboration, especially if I'm working with a large organization it's more effective if there's one clear spokesperson gathering feedback and communicating the team's ideas.
Revision calls, questions, concerns, and feedback might not look like design work from the outside, but they are a huge part of the process.
Listening is the invisible work, but it's often the most important work of design.
For example, I have a client right now who wants a logo that feels soft and calming. Her inspiration includes gradients and a textured background.
Some designers might immediately say, "Don't put gradients in a logo."
But I'm not going to say no.
Instead, I'm thinking about how the logo will actually be used.
I'll create the digital version she wants for places like Instagram, Facebook, or her website. But I'll also create a flat version without gradients that can work better for print, decals, embroidery, and other applications.
I like to listen to what the client wants while also making sure she gets artwork that works for its intended purpose.
That's what good design looks like to me.
4. Strategy Builds the Foundation, and Art Gives It Personality
There are certain design principles that create a strong foundation. Balance, hierarchy, contrast, and layout all matter.
But strategy alone doesn't make a design memorable.
The artistic details are what give it personality.
Let's say I'm designing a music poster and I want it to feel more creative than a typical layout. I might experiment with textures, icons, illustrations, or different ways of arranging the elements.
But I still need that foundation.
A basic layout might have a photo taking up the top half of a page and text underneath.
That's functional, but depending on the brand, I might be able to add personality by placing small illustrations in the corners, layering an element between the image and text, or using a visual detail to guide the viewer's eye down the page.
Those little touches can make a design feel more cohesive and intentional.
I'm always looking for those opportunities.
Sometimes it's an illustration. Sometimes it's color or contrast. Sometimes it's the layout itself. Maybe it's a subtle drop shadow or a slightly softened edge between an image and the rest of the design.
It doesn't always take a ton of extra elements to make something feel special.
I like to think of it as sprinkling a little fairy dust into the design. Just enough personality to make it memorable without making it feel overwhelming or out of place.
5. The Biggest Changes to My Process Had Nothing to Do With Design
One of the biggest improvements I've made to my workflow was adding design kickoff calls, especially for logo projects.
After the initial discovery call, contract, retainer, and questionnaire, I schedule a design kickoff meeting.
During that meeting, I can show the client:
A mood board
Three different color palette options
A handful of fonts
Early logo concepts
Ideas I'm considering for the creative direction
These aren't finished designs and that's the point.
Instead of spending hours creating three fully developed logo concepts that the client might not connect with, I can show them the direction first.
We can talk about the colors and look at the fonts too. We'll go over the mood board together to make sure we're on the same page.
Then, once we know which direction feels right, I can focus my energy on developing that concept.
This has significantly reduced revisions and helped me create stronger designs.
It also makes collaboration easier because I can see the client's reaction. I can hear what they're thinking. We can talk through the details in real time instead of relying entirely on email, where things can sometimes be misinterpreted.
That communication has streamlined my process more than any design trick ever could.
6. Every Great Brand Starts With a Strong Foundation
I didn't always use mood boards, especially for logo projects.
I used to receive an email, send a short questionnaire, and then jump straight into creating logo concepts.
The problem was that there wasn't always enough communication before the design started.
That meant more revisions and sometimes clients didn't connect with the first logo proof as much as they do now.
Now, I know that the strongest part of my process isn't choosing the perfect color or creating a clever logo concept.
It's communication.
Before creating visuals, I need to understand the client, their business, their audience, and their brand identity.
If the client has reference images those are incredibly helpful, too.
I have clients who come back to me throughout the year, and over time we've learned how to communicate really well.
I have one client who knows that I like to have reference images and a general vibe when design jobs are sent over . She includes plenty of visual inspiration in her emails, and suddenly I have a much clearer idea of where to go.
Without those visuals, my mind can go in a hundred different directions.
With them, I can look at the references and think, "Oh, okay. I very clearly know what to do now."
That's why a strong foundation matters.
I'm not designing for myself. I'm designing for someone else's business and their target audience. I need to understand their world before I can create something that represents it well.
7. Collaboration Is Where the Creative Juice Comes From
If someone asked me how I create designs that are creative and stand out, I'd say collaboration and communication.
Being able to build on someone else's ideas and see things from a different perspective is a huge part of the creative process.
Sometimes a client will say, "Go for it. Just do whatever."
It sounds great, but honestly, I still need some direction to be able to create something they love.
If I have no feedback or inspiration to work from, how do I know whether the design is going to resonate with them?
That doesn't mean clients need to know exactly what their logo should look like.
That's my job.
But giving me a sense of their vision, their audience, their preferences, and what they're drawn to gives me the creative direction I need to do my best work.
Collaboration is what gives the design its creative energy.
Recap: Key Takeaways
Good design starts before the design software. Discovery calls, questionnaires, conversations, and research create the foundation for better creative decisions.
The final design is only part of the process. Revisions, refinements, spacing, hierarchy, balance, and alignment all happen behind the scenes.
Listening is essential. Client feedback and collaboration help make sure the final design reflects both the client's vision and their audience.
Strategy and creativity work together. Good design principles create the foundation, while artistic details give the design personality.
A strong process saves time. Design kickoff calls and early creative direction can reduce unnecessary revisions and help everyone get aligned sooner.
Every great brand needs a strong foundation. Understanding the business, audience, personality, and visual direction should happen before creating the final visuals.
Collaboration creates better design. The best creative work comes from building on ideas together, communicating clearly, and starting from the right foundation.
If there's one thing I hope you take away, it's that good design starts long before you ever open a design program.
It starts with understanding your business, your audience, and the feeling you want your brand to create.
At the end of the day, you're not just designing a logo or a brand. You're shaping how people experience your business.
If you're ready to build a brand with that kind of intention, contact me at info@zsquaredstudio.com to talk about your project.
Happy designing!
Z Squared Studio is a Brand and Web Design Studio based in Juneau, Alaska. Check out www.zsquaredstudio.com for custom brand design, Alaska logo design, or web design.
Or sign up for our DIY Brand yourself Mini-Course if you're ready for a stand out, scroll stopping brand without hiring a designer.
Comments