This project was completed to coincide with the launch of the 2010 Future of Web Design conference in London. Similar to the previous project completed for Carsonified, the project involved a single page design to promote and sell The Complete Web Designer’s Toolkit (which is provided free for conference attendees). The project needed to include elements of the ThinkVitamin brand, but stand out as it’s own product.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the complete design and HTML/CSS implementation for the website.

Other Info

This was the second project completed for Carsonified, the first being the CSS3 Online Conference. The project had an extremely tight turnaround, and was completed and delivered within 5 days.

The intention of this project was to create a more impressive look and feel for the Brikmakers website. The client wanted to incorporate more of their branding and professionalism and lose the templated feel of their existing website. The new design was to be clean, professional, and more approachable than their current design.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the complete redesign of the website, utilising elements of their existing brand.

Credits / Extra Info

Unfortunately, although the design was accepted, the project did not proceed past the design stage for technical reasons. The project was undertaken in conjunction with Nice Design

As part of the first stage of a complete website overhaul, Worldwide Online Print required a new homepage design to fit in with their updated branding. The new design was to be clear, professional and a lot more usable than their previous design. The new homepage design would also remove most of the outdated flash animation and set the stage for phase 2 – a complete restructure and redesign of the entire website.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the complete design and HTML/CSS implementation of the new homepage.

Credits / Other Info

This project was completed for Wordplay Media, who are responsible for managing the website project. Although the final result was a huge improvement on their previous design, my preference lies with the original design mockup (4th and 5th slides) over the final version.

This project was completed for Carsonified for their upcoming CSS3 Online Conference. The project involved a single page website to facilitate and encourage ticket purchases and provide information about the conference and the speakers. The design was required to incorporate some of the existing Think Vitamin brand but also be able to separate itself from the Think Vitamin blog design.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the design of the page, and the Carsonified team were responsible the implementation. I also created the logo for the event as part of the website design.

Other Info

Following the design of this site, I also completed the design for The Complete Web Designer’s Toolkit to coincide with the Future of Web Design Conference launch.

This purpose of this project was to revitalise the look and feel of Hisco’s outdated, and difficult to use website. Apart from the design requirements, the client also required an improved site architecture and more usable navigation. Although the client liked elements of their previous website, they wanted the new website to better communicate their area of business, as well as being clean, professional and easy to use.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the entire redesign of the website, and the implementation of the design into HTML/CSS.

Credits

The design and implementation of this project was completed for Rodney Fletcher of 13thirtyseven – who is currently taking care of the integration of the website into the client’s CMS.

This project was an extension of the original logo project completed for Kii Design. From the identity developed in the logo design phase I set about incorporating this into their online presence and produced a design that was clean, bright and engaging.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the design of the website, including the homepage and several other internal pages.

Credits

This project also involved creating the initial identity for Kii Design, which you can view here. The client took care of the implementation and CMS integration themselves, and did a superb job.

The is the third issue of Relative Magazine, printed DL size at a run of 1500. Just as the previous 2 issues, the magazine was divided into 8 content sections, was submission based and available for free at local cafe’s, boutiques, theatres and bars around Perth.

Skills involved

I was responsible for the creative direction of the magazine – which included the initial style, the layouts of each of the spreads and the design of the contents page, among others.

Extra information

This project is one of a number of projects completed for Relative Magazine – a Perth based magazine which I am Creative Director, and one of the four founding members. You can order a copy of the magazine online, here.

When people feel they had to express themselves for originality for its own sake, that tends not to be creativity. Only when you get into the problem and the problem becomes clear, can creativity take over.
Charles Eames, Architect, Graphic and Industrial Designer, Filmmaker

Trying to produce a successful design without a creative brief is like trying to find a solution without first knowing the problem. If the purpose of design is to find a solution, a creative brief is paramount to identifying the problem in the first place.

A creative brief is a fundamental part of the design process and a key foundation upon which successful projects are built. Not only does the creative brief ensure that all parties understand the requirements, background and goals of a project, it helps to inspire ideas and develop an understanding of a project that would not have been possible otherwise.

If you are a client, a creative brief will outline your goals, and help you measure a project’s success. If you are a designer, a good creative brief is your best friend.

The objectives of a creative brief.

A creative brief doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be) overwhelming. An effective creative brief can be simplified down into three simple points:

• The Past;
• The Present; and
• The Future

The Past.

The past represents everything that has already occurred, and has bought you to today. This point identifies the constants or known elements of any project. The past consists of the client details, the background of the project, the target audience, the competition, the market position, and the existing brand.

The intention of the past is to develop a solid understanding of the client, their business and the background of the project.

The Present.

The present is today. The present is the reason you have been hired and why you are writing the brief: the present is the problem. The present consists of the intentions of the project, the objectives of the design, the problems that need to be solved and sets the requirements on which the success of the project will be measured.

The present will identify the problem, and set out the objectives that the design will be built upon. Depending on the project, the present could be relatively simple, or quite detailed.

The Future.

The future is the expected outcomes, essentially the vision for the project. The future is not yet known and as such is somewhat variable. The future encompasses a number of aspects of a creative brief, including: the intended style, the budget, the project’s timeline, specific project requirements, sources of inspiration and references.

The future is very much subjective, and it sets the requirements and goals for the solution of the project. It’s important to note that a creative brief shouldn’t prescribe solutions, but just provide suggestions – the brief will be the basis for the designer to develop the ideas of their own.

Using these three key points, you should be able to structure a brief of your own, regardless of whether you are the client or the designer. If you are a designer, it is important to gather as much knowledge about the project first so that the brief can be constructed properly.

Develop a Questionnaire

Many designers (including myself) find it productive to distribute a questionnaire to a client from which to develop a brief. A questionnaire is an effective method of gathering information because you can ensure you’re asking all the right questions to formulate a very specific brief.

A questionnaire doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous either – just keep it succinct and clear. With modern technology it’s really easy to create something engaging and simple. You could use a word document, create an editable PDF, or even develop a web form. Just make sure that the fields you provide for answering your questionnaire are appropriate for the question.

In terms of structure, a questionnaire should cover the Past, Present and Future elements as previously discussed, but in more detail. For example, a typical website design questionnaire could be structured as:

• Company Information (past)
• Company Background (past)
• Market Position (past)
• Target Audience (past)
• Brand (past)
• Objectives (present)
• Requirements (present)
• Specific Information (future)
• Style Information (future)
• Reference Sites (future)
• Budget * (future)
• Timeline * (future)
• Extra Information (future)

*If the project was already approved, the budget and timeline would likely be scoped in the project proposal.

Each of these points above can set the structure of the brief, and you would likely get more specific by adding multiple questions within each criteria. However, there is no point getting too specific if it is not necessary for the project at hand.

Consider the depth.

A wise man once tweeted: “If the brief in words is more than the budget in dollars, I raise my red flag.” (@maxvoltar).

A brief for a 3 hour business card design probably wouldn’t need a questionnaire or a 4 page brief – it may just require a telephone conversation or a couple of paragraphs in an email. Whereas a 4 month design and development project would likely need a lot more effort and structure to develop a full understanding of the task at hand.

Similarly, if a client sends a lengthy brief for a 2 hour flash job which would probably require half the budgeted time to read and interpret, there is obviously an issue with the agreed scope. This should be identified immediately and discussed with the client.

There is no right or wrong here, just consider the effort vs. the reward.

Free stuff.

Below I’ve provided two example questionnaires similar to the ones I use for my own projects. Whether you’re a designer, own a business, or are just looking to start a new creative project these will hopefully be useful in helping to formulate your own questionnaire or creative brief. There are no restrictions on use, but the copyright information must remain if they are used in their current form.

I don’t proclaim them to be perfect, but they should create a solid foundation for you to develop a useful questionnaire to use in your own projects.

Summary.

The creative brief is one of the most important tools for any designer or client – it will set the foundation for a project, identify its direction and contribute to its success.

Without a creative brief, you’ll be more than likely walking into a project blind. The aesthetic result may be outstanding, but without understanding the problem and nailing the requirements, the solution may have been a waste of your valuable time.

Regardless of the means, I am confident that by following the guidelines and methods described, you’ll be well on your way to developing a useful, structured creative brief that will guide you to success in your next project.

Choosing who you hire to build your website is not a decision your company should take lightly. There are numerous factors to take into consideration – timeline, experience, quality, cost, rapport to name a few.

In my experience I would suggest that the idea of hiring a freelancer for your next project is not given much thought, if any at all. After all, you want the experience, and quality that only an established company can provide, right?

Wrong! Well, in the most part.

I’m sure you’re looking for all these qualities and more, but the idea that only a company can provide them is a large misconception. Freelancers often provide above and beyond the traditional business model, because they don’t have the limitations that most companies are bound by.

You should hire a freelancer for your next project, and I’ll explain why.

Quality

The first and foremost reason for hiring a freelancer is the quality of work. A freelancer is useless without a good portfolio, and to maintain clients, a high standard is a continual requirement. A freelancer is directly responsible for every piece of work produced, and every job must be treated as such.

When you work with a freelancer it’s very much ‘what you see is what you get’ – you will have seen their work, and you know they will be the one working on your project. You will be getting the expertise and quality of work that you paid for directly, not that of whoever has been allocated to work on your project.

Communication / Rapport

Communication in any business is important to the success of a project. As mentioned above, when you hire a freelancer, you know that you will be dealing with that person 100% of the time – not a sales rep, account manager, designer or secretary. A freelancer must understand every aspect of the project, and as such, the project will not get lost in translation. You can rest assured that you will have a single point of contact from start to finish.

Freelancers are also generally available outside of traditional working hours, and will provide you with direct contact details, understanding that clients may have different circumstances, and be able to adapt as required.

Through working closely with a freelancer, it is likely that both parties will develop a solid rapport, aiding in the understanding of the project and contributing to the final product in a way not possible through traditional business models. Developing this connection will also build the foundation for a strong relationship likely to continue for future ventures, beyond the extent of the project at hand.

Experience

A common misconception is that a freelancer doesn’t hold the experience equivalent to that of a business with several employees. While this is most likely true if you consider a time based measure, it can be quite the opposite if the level of knowledge, skill and specialisation is compared. In fact, many freelancers start out because they seek to further their knowledge in their industry, unable to further develop their skills and knowledge in their previous position.

Furthermore, a freelancer’s experience is directly evident and they are often required to adapt to learn multiple skill sets, not being restricted to what is already understood and practiced. A freelancer will work from start to finish, adapting and specialising in all aspects of the project, not just filling in a position on a production line.

Timeline

Another misconception is that freelancers are less likely to meet deadlines, as opposed to a business with multiple staff members, as they can have multiple people working on a single project at once.

In fact, freelancers are more adaptable to deadlines, and able to undertake jobs in a lesser time frame as they are the only person that needs to be available for a project. Freelancers also generally have smaller schedules to manage, and are more available, often working outside the traditional working hours and are less susceptible to distractions from co-workers or company politics.

Good time management is vital for a freelancer, as missing a deadline has the potential to push out the schedule of other jobs that may be waiting. As such, it is imperative that a freelancer adheres to deadlines and manages their time efficiently as they are directly responsible for the result.

Flexibility

This is perhaps one of the most valuable attributes of a freelancer – working as sole operators means that all decisions are made directly by themselves.

A freelancer is his/her own boss, and can use their own discretion to make decisions based on the circumstance, not policy. They are not limited to specific software or procedure, and generally have experience with a large variety of tools, able to adapt to the project at hand, rather than adapting the project to suit a company’s ability.

Freelancers pride themselves on high availability, the ability to work on projects outside of office hours, and as mentioned previously, often supply a direct contact number to clients.

A freelancer is not a Salesman

This is a point which may often be overlooked, but it is important to note that a freelancer is providing a service, not making a sale. A freelancer will ensure that you are being delivered exactly what you are looking for, and a freelancer will know exactly what they are talking about.

A freelancer seeks a continued relationship with your business, and intends to make a difference. It is in a freelancer’s best interest to make your project successful, and their interests go far and beyond getting proposal approval or making a sale – the freelancer is there with you every step of the way.

Innovation

Finally, freelancers are innovative, and constantly push boundaries because they can, and because they need to.

Freelancers are able to spend more time researching, discovering and experimenting to produce results that deliver beyond the standard. A freelancer is not limited to a standard process, and not bound by a specific procedure.

Innovation is important to a freelancer as they intend to prove their worth – and completing work that is new, different and beyond the capabilities and flexibility of traditional business, ensures this is the case.

To summarise, hiring a freelancer can be very beneficial to your next project. A freelancer is generally a highly experienced individual, capable of producing work that exceeds the quality of competing businesses, able to deliver in a prompt timeframe, and provide exceptional communication.

Freelancers are flexible and innovative, and strive to produce work that surpasses your expectations. Not bound by company policy or limited to one aspect of the project, a freelancer is with you every step of the way. As discussed, the misconceptions inherent with hiring a freelancer are completely unfounded, and in a lot of cases, the exact opposite of the reality.

When you do progress with your next project, consider the benefits of hiring a freelancer, and make sure the solution you choose is the right one for your company.

It’s a feeling quite like any other – holding that freshly printed item in your hands, one that you’ve spent hours/days/months slaving over. It’s nerve racking, stressful, and exciting all at the same time – and this is what makes it all the more rewarding.

We recently received the third issue of Relative Magazine from the printers and rewarding it was. This issue has taken us the better part of half a year to get together – collecting submissions, fundraising, photographing, guest speaking, collating, designing, laying out, drafting, proofing and finalising to name a small portion of the work involved. And now, holding that final printed DL, notch bound, 150gsm matt coated, landscape magazine makes it all seem worth it.

Contents

For those who aren’t aware, I am Creative Director and one of four founders of local (Perth) submission based culture magazine, Relative. I work alongside Drew Wilson, Mike Ellis and Mahad Hassan to put together the magazine, to promote the art and culture of Perth that is not often publicised or promoted. We work on the magazine in our spare time, and do it because it’s what we love doing – there’s no reward, the magazine is free, and any money that is raised (parties, t-shirts, online purchases) goes straight back in to printing the subsequent issue. This third issue was no exception, and although it took a little longer than previous issues, we successfully launched the third issue of the magazine on Saturday night.

To be honest, I was a little more excited than usual about getting my hands on the newly printed third issue. The content was exceptional and the magazine was being printed with a new printing company, a different binding process and completely different stock.

Brad Serls – New York

It was a choice that didn’t come lightly – but we made the decision to change from the previous stock of 140gms recycled paper to 150gsm coated matt paper, for both financial and aesthetic reasons. The two previous magazines, although looking great on the uncoated stock, had a dullness to them inherit with printing on this type of paper. We wanted a sharper look for the new edition, and it turned out to be a substantially cheaper option too.

The result was more than what we could have hoped for – apart from losing the natural feel and appearance of the uncoated paper (which we had by this time come to terms with); the third issue came out incredibly sharp, clear and surprisingly beautiful.

Felicita Sala

However the real quality of the magazine was not the paper, or the printing process – it was the content of the magazine, submitted to us incredibly talented from local Perth folk, who without we would have no magazine at all. The submissions received for this issue surpassed all of our expectations and pushed the magazine to another level – and for this reason, above anything else, i’d encourage you to try and track down a copy of your own.

If you’d like to get your hands on the third issue of Relative Magazine and you live in Perth, come down to the Davilak in Freo this Saturday the 12th of December. There will be plenty of mags in supply, live painting, Djs and cold beer.

If you don’t live in Perth or can’t make it, keep your eye out on the Relative Website where we be soon adding the new edition for viewing online and available for order for a small fee.