Design Process: Design itself is only the first step. It is important when conceiving of a new design that the entire workflow through to production is taken into consideration. While most modern graphic design is created on computers, using design software such as the Adobe suite of products, the ideas and concepts don’t stay on the computer. To create in-store signage for instance, the ideas need to be completed using computer software, but then progress to an imaging (traditionally referred to as printing) process. This involves a wide-reaching and varied group of disciplines. Our goal in this course is to specifically focus on different aspects of the design process, from creation to production. By examining the history of design, we are able to be inspired by, and learn from, those who have worked before us. Graphic design has a very rich and interesting heritage, with inspirations drawn from schools and movements such as the Werkbund, Bauhaus, Dada and International Typographic Style (ITS), as well as other influences still seen in the designs of today. Contrary to what we tend to see in popular television shows and movies where advertising executives are struck with instant, usable, and bold ideas, design strategies are seldom insights gained through such a sudden outburst of inspiration. The design process is a deliberate, constructive, and prescriptive process that is guided by specific strategies. For example, before any piece of designed communication can be started, some very detailed research needs to be performed. This happens well before any graphic design or layout software is opened on a computer. Designing is a form of problem solving, where a system is created to communicate a specific and targeted message. The design process is the way that a designer breaks the problem into discrete creative activities. First is an exploration of what is trying to be achieved. Facts are gathered about the problem, and the problem itself is often defined very specifically. The idea phase is where brainstorming and ideation occurs, often without judgment, as a way to gather as many different ideas and directions as possible. From this, solutions are evaluated, both for their perceived impact on the target audience and for their perceived effectiveness in portraying the desired message. Finally, all of this information is distilled into an accepted solution. Designers do not sit around waiting for ideas to just happen; they follow a process in order to make it happen. QUESTION TWO: Complete the sentence by choosing the correct option: The design process is a deliberate, constructive, and prescriptive process that is guided by specific __________. strategies people tools