On Process (What's new?)

Here's a good litmus test to assess how good your process is at your place of (design) work:

Write a paragraph or two describing how your project evolved, from its initial concepts to its end result, without writing anything about client changes.

In theory, the work you've produced should still be sound, with its foundation rooted in a solid idea, supported by a framework of visual aesthetics that reinforce it. If the result you've produced is a bit weak, has holes in its ideas, or relies primarily on a visual style to communicate -- well that sounds like compromises in the process were made.

The exercise will allow you to see where exactly that happened in your process, and will help you to avoid those potholes next time.