Does it add up?

Well I wasn't in class so I can't exactly comment on what it was like. I hope that isn't held against me. From my understanding you discussed

"Inspiration>Idea>Concept>Trial>Refine>Product"

which is not a new process to me. I don't always follow it in order and sometimes I know exactly what i want to make and just go to it and make it as I thought it, but generally I follow the "steps".

I think that inspiration comes from various sources and (to me at least) always starts from somewhere different depending on why your making the thing, what your making and for whom.

Generally if I have a client, they tell me what they want. A website for example generally means the client has a logo, so my "inpiration" step is to look a their brand and get ideas of who the company is so to speak.

Then I get "ideas" based off of the logo, the current printed materials or online materials they have already.

The "concept" is usually just me starting to make the website and then having about a dozen or more versions of it until I find 2-3 that I think would work best and present them to the client. Sometimes the idea and concept stage are one in the same. Actually they mostly are the same.

The "trial" is usually me presenting my layout options to the client and the "refine" process comes when they tell me any changes they like to see. There are usually some.

The finished "product" in this case is a website. One that then gets "refined" again and again periodically.

This is the end result for a client using those "steps". I designed the logo so I had a starting point.

Client Website

The process differs though if I use it for my own stuff and if I am doing a website vs a logo or something.

For a logo design the inspiration would change depending on if it was mine or a client. I will say both and show mine.

Starting Point-

• Me - What am I making? - An educational "company" logo for myself.
• Client - A logo for their company that is just starting out.

 First Step (before Inspiration) - Why am I doing this? Who is it for? Target Audience?

• Me - I consider what I want my logo and name to portray. Do I want it to be more educational? more fun? more towards parents or teachers? I decided I want it geared towards parents who want to work with their kids at home with a focus on toddlers learning preschool and kindergarten things.

• Client - They want their logo to show what they do and have their company name (pre-established) in the logo. They have no color preference, but want it to be fun and professional at the same time. 

Inspiration -

• Me - I look at other parent/teacher sites and see what logos they have, then if I don't get an idea I simply start "playing" in Illustrator.
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• Client - I will almost always look for logos of companies that are similar to my client. This helps me establish the general "norm" for their type of company. I never copy though and I never do the same as what I have seen, which the searching also helps with.

 Idea -

• Me - Once I have an idea (or sometimes if I don't) I start playing with names for the website/blog as well as some vector images. I usually end up with a dozen or more in an AI file and then narrow it down or tend to focus on one and then make several options from it. 

• Client - Usually I have an idea for the client before I open Illustrator and sometimes I have a rough sketch (I am not sketch artist so it involves more text and stick figures than actual drawing) to go by. With this idea I look for pre-made vector pieces I can use and then find the right font with it.

Concept -

• Me- Usually this stage means I have no more than three ideas and am playing with them to determine which one I like best OR I have the one and am tweaking it to make it better. Generally the concept is the roughed out second draft so to speak with idea being the first.
• Client - The concept here is usually one option with 2-3 variations to them. I then sent this to the client.

Trial -

• Me - The trial part for me generally takes place at the same time as the idea and concept "steps" for me and involves my staring at one or more options and finding what I dislike about it.

• Client - This is where I sent the concept design to the client and then send it back with any changes to be made and what they like and dislike about it.

  

  Not done. Still in refinement process and will most likely look drastically different.

Refine -

• Me - Again this all takes place at the same time as idea, concept, and trial for me. I refine until I am pleased with it and then I stop looking at it cause when I do I want to improve it further. This happens almost 98% of the time I create anything. I am overly critical but oh well.
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• Client - This is the part where I get the email back and make any changes, or change the things they dislike to things I think they would like more based on the their likes from the concept. This could take awhile as we usually go back and forth until they are 100% happy with it as a whole.

Product -

• Me - My final product usually is when I have come up with a design I really like and can't think of how to improve it further. Then I go with it, test it out somehow (website, friends etc) and get other people's opinions on it. Once more refining is done if necessary I am ready to go. 

• Client - The final product is given to the client once they have sent me an email saying they love it, go with it, approved etc. Then I send one more email asking them to verify every word for spelling, all the colors etc. Once approved its done and given to the client.

Logo created by using steps above. Though still in refinement process and will be changing name and possibly logo itself.

The whole New Media = Target Audience and Art = Me equation to me means basically that when you design for clients (as in New media) you have to consider your target audience when designing anything because that is who your client is concerned with. they want their logo, website etc to reach as many people as possible and so you design for the target audience.

When you design for yourself (and not your own company) it can be considered art more than anything. Though art to me has no actual definition since it is one to me and another to each person. However, when you design for you it is more of an art and your target audience is YOU. Your the only who you have to please with it and therefore is considered art (though this is by no means the definition of art).

Make sense? Long enough post?

Well here is a little more for those that said "Nay" to the long enough post question.

Using the "steps" discussed at the beginning is something I generally do. I never follow all of the steps it seems and I combine the middle four more often than not. Trying to fit a design into each "step" actually slowed me down though it didn't cause any creative "blockage". I generally adapt to "how" I design as I have had many different types of clients.
For doing my own work I work best when NOT using those steps and I generally just have an idea, get inspiration, start with a concept and then either I go back and forth and around with the previous steps and then move on to refinement with no trial or just move on.
For client work, it helps to have the steps (though I don't actually have them and follow them). I have an idea, get inspiration, get the concept created and then send to the client (trial) and then make changes (refinement).

The fact is that all of the steps change or get rearranged depending on who I am making the thing for, what I am making and how long I have.