How to evaluate the quality of a design solution?

After implementing any design solution, it inevitably falls under comparison with other projects. And this is either a breakthrough, just a quality product, or neither.

Questions to test good global contrast:

1. 1. What styles are typical for the client area? How am I going to avoid using them?

We monitor competitors and the info field in the category. And we do the opposite, but remember the brief. If the graffiti and overload of details dominate in the pro-skate party, we turn the concept towards ultra-minimalism. And in the design of the limousine rental service, on the contrary, we are introducing brutalism.

2. 2. What cases in the field of the client have been implemented by other agencies? Which of them are the most unusual?

Agencies are always at the forefront of design. They have already applied point 1. Many times. Therefore, we look at how tops are made and close to another level of our uniqueness. The problem here is that there is simply no other way to do it. First, let’s decompose the case into elements and do reverse engineering. Although why are such difficulties when the creators themselves talk about breakthrough works at lectures and festivals. We walk, study, and reproduce the algorithm.

3. 3. What colors are non-standard for the customer’s area?

Helping a client stand out on a colour level is a big achievement when all the big players have taken key shades for themselves. But if we talk about niche brands, then it is quite possible to create a unique palette in the category. If fast food is characterized by bright and naive colours, then we are trying to introduce pastel.

4. 4. What fonts are non-standard for the client’s area?

Typography is a big design trend right now and allows you to create a unique signature for a brand. And it doesn’t have to fit the category. Make grunge fonts for beauty products, and display ribbon Antiqua for kindergartens.

5. 5. What graphic images are non-standard for the client’s sphere?

A good metaphor can be the single strongest element in a concept and still make it memorable. If everyone around you uses mountains as a symbol of pure natural water, then using an urban image, like a water tower, can make your product stand out.

6. 6. What non-standard tools can I use to create unique elements?

Design is not only about graphic images, but also about the process of their creation. For the most part, modern visual solutions are difficult to surprise anyone. But if mastering illustration or 3D for a project sounds like an unrealistic task, then going beyond graphic editors and using a log as a lettering brush can be organized once and enjoy the process.