I’m Joshua, an Art Director/Visual & Experience Designer with a push for the arts, visual storytelling, sustainability & design par problem-solving. I currently build design & visual identity systems; design spaces & create other forms of visual art. I’m bent on designing unique experiences, target-driven campaigns & visual products. My design experience spans 5 years (including freelance work). Find my portfolio here: behance.net/legendaryofor
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When it comes to design tools, I'm a bit consistent with my choices. My sketchpad, sticky notes, and pencil. Taking it up a notch, I work daily with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, XD & Figma I honestly can't live without Adobe Illustrator (not literally, but yeah!😅)
I totally, totally second all the answers provided here! It's important to consider the effect/feel/experience you intend to create with whatever you're designing. Colors are proven to have a psychological effect on users, hence, it's expected that we duly think this through when selecting colors - the effect of certain colors on various individuals, with respect to what you're designing, be it brand identity, digital products, etc (yes, some people actually have hormonal responses to certain colors😄). Also, it's important to look out for key factors such as contrast. Finally, the visual appeal is just as important as the functionality of the product being designed - your design has gotta look just as good, as it works!😁 https://coolors.co/ does a good job for me.
I believe a proper discovery session with the client, would help you understand what the client defines as "requirements". Also, it's true that a lot of clients do not have a complete understanding of what they want their products to do, hence, a usability test is also advised, and if it meets their requirements, then that should be a go. Finally, I also think it'll be a good move to carry your client along in your design process, so they're aware of what is, and what is not. That way, any iterations that need to be made, are made during the process, not after completed efforts.
At the start of the pandemic, not having to attend or participate in in-person meetups posed surreally, but being up till now shows I (we) sure found a way to navigate that phase. Not getting to experience that physical/human interaction, hugs, smiles, and teeming joy when we walked into a room for a physical meetup, with a lot of devs enthusiastic about creating cool stuff? I have missed all of that. Nonetheless, I'm certain that we'd be returning to that experience, or at least something close to it soon, and yes, online meetups have come to stay; as an alternative to the physical. Livestream, pre-recorded sessions & AMAs like this have helped keep the conversation going.
Developers are also a part of the audience we design for. However, just like Eriol & Sid have earlier said, devs yet being part of the audience, are unique users having their own preferences, expectations, needs, etc. Designing within the developer ecosystem is real; it is important to consider the peculiarities of these people, what sets them apart, and what brings them together; the things they care about, what they need to facilitate their processes, and perform effectively too! It's important to understand the moving parts that make the "designing for devs & various audiences" work.
Hi James! Here’s my little throw-in: When it comes to design systems, I personally believe that they’re made to solve human problems. These problems would many at times pose to be around communication. Hence, I’d offer two recommendations here: Firstly, ensuring that all or at best, the basic constituents necessary, are in place. These would include but not limited to: a visual language understandable by the team; this may be reflected in a properly-outlined style guide, functional interface components, and a set of standards that would guide the use of those components. Secondly, for technical recommendations, I’d go with any of these tools to build your design team (might be a tad biased with my choices, but they work for me) - InvisionApp (https://www.invisionapp.com/) & Figma (https://figma.com/). My reason for these is, they both work as easy-to-use, flexible yet effective tools. Just to add this for anyone who’d love to see this: most design systems are merely pattern libraries and style guides. A design system should embody a system of various concepts, and pose a shared platform where teams can create, collaborate, and build.