Thursday, January 9, 2014

A Designer: What does it mean?


Being a designer doesn’t mean I stick to just art. It takes a special type of creativity to be a designer that stands out in the crowd. As a client, the visual aspect is what is most apparent, but look deeper and you’ll be surprised. 

            Before the design process comes the thought process behind how things will function. Each client is different, and they expect something different for their project. I come up with the functions that will make the project work and stand out and how those functions are executed. That makes the designer a leader. Some projects require developers. It’s my job to make sure the functions are executed properly, or that the developers know exactly how things are supposed to work. Every developer is different too and sometimes certain things aren’t possible based on their skill level. Then it comes down to the designer to find a way to compensate with great design. I’ve worked on games where I was the one naming and creating functions for weapons, character backgrounds, in-app purchases. I had to lead a team and conceive not just the art, but every aspect of the project. Of course you still have your client or whoever you happen to be working for and they get the final say, but my job is always to make their vision come to life.