AIGA, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, is committed to advancing the understanding of the value of design and the process of designing. From time to time, they’ll publish a booklet to help us designers communicate our role to clients. And this one, “What every business needs,” does a pretty nifty job of explaining the full potential of a designer’s contribution in problem solving.
You can download the whole booklet here. But for the executive summary, see below:
We offer you the following process as a way to make design an integral part of your business, and to allow designers to make your success an integral part of design. It will make you an even more sagacious client. It is a method for partnering, a guide to the most effective use of teams, and the most potent, efficient, reliable way to get from A to B when you are not quite sure what B is.
What follows is a framework through which design can be incorporated into your business. Its purpose is to clarify, assess and communicate the responsibilities and methods of the design process. It is a scalable, tried and true process, one which is suitable for solving any problem that requires creative thinking.
12 STEPS TO SUCCESS, AT A GLANCE.
1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM
2. SET CLEAR OBJECTIVES AND DEFINE SUCCESS
3. DEFINE THE APPROACH
4. ELICIT BUY-IN AND SUPPORT
5. INFORMATION GATHERING
6. DEVELOP AND PROTOTYPE IDEAS
7. ANALYZE THE OPTIONS
8. MAKE THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS
9. MOBILIZE THE TEAM
10. PRESENT TO INTERNAL AUDIENCES
11. TAKE IT PUBLIC
12.EVALUATE SUCCESS.
Tags: AIGA, designer's role, graphic design, What every business needs