My Design Process

Hello readers!

My name is Hilary Pope and I'm a graphic designer and artist living in Champaign, IL. Finding my own creative process has been a process developed through repeated trial and error. At the current moment the process goes something like this:

1. Research: Once I have a project I like to research others like it. I like to see what has already been done, and start to imagine where I may go with the project.

2. Marinate: I like to have time to carry a project in my thoughts while I go about my normal life. I like to drive around, visit art exhibits, inspect every piece of visual input around me and try to imagine my work in the outside world. It helps me find the right feeling for the work and sometimes helps me narrow in on the language I want to use in my design.

3. Narrow In; Sketch: At this point I can start putting pen(cil) to paper and start organizing my ideas. I can try different gestures, organizational methods and motifs in my head and start to see what will work best.

4. Paper to Computer: Once I have things sketched out, I try to make it a reality in Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign. I'll start laying out the basics to see how my sketches translate once they are a reality.

5. Ask for input: I typically frequently ask for input, either from my partner or from other graphic design friends. I will also get input from a client after I have a drafted piece.

6. Revisions: Once I have input I'll change what needs to be changed, sometimes small items and sometimes rearranging entire compositions.

7. Reflect: This is a time where I imagine a world where I went 654 million different ways with my project and tell myself I'll try those other ways when I have time.

In all of these steps creativity is required. I always hope inspiration will be there too, but I often need to seek it out. I find that museum visits, movies, tv shows, travel, walking, exercising or shopping can often be outlets to trigger a creative idea. I think this is all a part of marinating. I also like to surround myself with art and objects in my home that inspire me. It's easier for me to feel inspired while surrounded by beautiful work of all mediums.

Creative people are necessary for our culture. Creative people do just that; they create. They innovate in every area of our society. Creativity sparks new music, new ways to tell stories, filmmaking, fashion, art, technology, media, and moves our society forward. Creative people keep the world from becoming a stagnant place with one accepted ideal. One way I stay inspired is to find other creatives (even online) and watch what they are doing. If you watch enough people who are kicking ass in their respected fields it is impossible to not feel excited and ready to create.

I also think that in the graphic design profession we need to keep creating and changing to keep viewers interested and engaged. People become passive viewers when the work is the same old. Innovation keeps people interested in looking longer.

I hope that my path to creating continues to improve and evolve as I continue to make work. For now I just keep trying new things to find what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for reading!

HP