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Developing a Workflow for Your Graphic Design Project

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This chapter is from the book

W. Edwards Deming

What Is a Workflow?

A workflow is a process of how something gets done. It’s a map that gets you from point A to point B. In other words, it’s the roadmap for a project. In most cases, there are several ways to get to where you’re going. Some ways might have more traffic, others nice scenery—but they all basically get you to your destination. In the business world, though, you want to get to your destination in the shortest amount of time, using the least amount of gas, and having a bit of fun at the same time—which makes your job rewarding, successful, and, most important, profitable.

In graphic design, a workflow comprises all the necessary steps that have to happen for a particular job to be completed. Obviously, whatever your final result is supposed to be will determine what the workflow is. If you’re designing a piece that will be output to the Web, it will have a different workflow, or process, than a project that will end up on a printing press.

Right off the bat, it’s important to realize that every workflow is different—mostly, of course, because every project has different goals, but also because there is usually more than just one way to accomplish a task. Workflows are also affected by factors you might not necessarily think about. For example, if you’re a designer who is putting together a newspaper, you might be incorporating some photographs into your layout that came from prints from your local photographer. Another paper might have overseas photographers who need to submit their images digitally.



The Adobe Creative Suite is unique because it provides all the tools necessary for a design workflow. Because of the integration among the applications in the Suite, it’s easy to move your project along each step of the process. And because these applications all work in the same way, you don’t have to tear your hair out learning about all kinds of programs to get your work done. Most important, Adobe has aligned each of the products in the suite to release at the same time, making it easier to develop and maintain a workflow.

As you read through the rest of this chapter, you might feel the urge to skip particular areas because they don’t pertain to the kinds of things you are doing today. For example, you might want to skip anything related to the Web because you work primarily in print-related materials. My advice is to at least get a basic understanding of other workflows because you never know what might come your way. This way, if you end up getting an opportunity to do such work—even if you’re going to outsource it—you’ll have a complete understanding of the process and what needs to happen. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say "I lost so much money because I told them I could do it, but I had no idea how much work was involved," I’d have enough money for one of those speedy G5 computers (with a gorgeous 30-inch display, of course).

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