5 Tips to Flexible Design

Here at dt we all wear many hats. Though I am primarily a designer, my daily tasks can include strategy, marketing and sales. Likewise, my co-workers are sometimes required to be designers. Thus it is super important that anyone, with any background, can prepare deliverables that are consistent and professional. It is my job to create these initial documents as flexible and efficient as possible so they can be easily edited by anyone.

As with every designer, change is constant. There are always changes to copy, images, colors, styles, and the list goes on. This is where flexibility comes in. Before starting a project, take the time to plan your execution and be prepared for anything. If you are in the initial stages of a design, and something fits “just right,” it should be a warning. Good design should be flexible yet consistent, ready for anything, because there will always be changes looming on the horizon (as there should be!).

Luckily for us, we have access to countless tools that are created solely to make our job as designers easier. It is our responsibility to use these tools even if it means taking a step back to plan before we dive in head first.

Here are 5 tips I use for making my designs flexible:

Use the right tool for the job
Don’t be scared of learning a new software, if will make your job much easier in the long run. Talk to other professionals, see what they use for the job.

Know your editors
Do others need to be able to edit the project? Do they have the right software?

Organize, organize, and organize!
Correctly organizing projects allows for easy edits and smaller file sizes. Chances are someone else will have to edit the file, don’t be embarrassed by sloppy work!

Anticipate changes
They’re coming! Be ready to change anything at any time. Facilitating others to make changes will save you both time.

Be consistent
Consistency is crucial. Inconsistent styles = inconsistent brands. Create templates, style sheets, paragraph styles, object styles, color palettes to name a few…

I’m always open to new suggestions. Disagree? Know more? Bring em’ on!

Flickr credits
Stuart Guthrie
radiofree
David Teter
Ben Palmer
Dmai