Why and how to rationalize your design choices.

Designing any product or service is a complex process that requires careful consideration and decision-making. It is essential to assess the needs and desires of the target audience. You also need to understand the project's constraints and limitations. When designing, it is crucial to rationalize your choices and explain why you made the decisions you did. Not only for when your client asks you why you did what you did but to protect your design when they ask for changes. Just recently, I had a customer suggest changing the primary brand color. They made the ultimate frustrating statement that they did not "like" the color. But demonstrating why it was chosen changed her mind. It is a top trending color in women's fashion. Chanel, Prada, Max Mara, Alexander McQueen, and more use the color to entice our shared target audience. The client subsequently realized she had a purse and a coat of the same color. The design doesn't have to be intellectualized, but I prefer it that way. Here are some tips for justifying your design choices:

Define your target audience before beginning your design: You must clearly understand your audience. Identify the demographics, behaviors, and motivations of your target audience. Doing so will help you make informed decisions about the design, ensuring that it meets the needs and desires of your audience. Plus, when your client states their non-objective opinion of not "liking" a design choice, you can remind them that they are not the target audience. 

Set clear goals and objectives: Before you begin designing, it is crucial to establish clear goals and objectives for the project. This will help you focus your valuable efforts and ensure that your design choices align with the project's overall purpose. Note goals and objectives are generally set by the client, and how you meet the challenge will likely be how they evaluate your participation. If your client has challenges setting clear goals, I suggest you do so. But before you begin designing, you will need to get their agreement regarding the objectives. 

Research and gather data: To make informed design choices, collecting and researching relevant components of the project is essential. This can include user research, analyzing market trends, and studying similar products or services. Define the competition and review how they support their messaging via design. This data will provide valuable insights and inform your design decisions. Having this information will improve your presentation as well. Reeling off some hard facts that support your design choices, make your decisions obvious, and establishes yourself as the expert. Also, it is a great way to build client trust and ensure repeat business. 

Consider usability and functionality: A product or service should be easy to use and function as intended. When designing, consider factors such as layout, navigation, and user flow to ensure that the product is intuitive and user-friendly for the intended audience. I am very focused on my audience. I may be more familiar with product functionality than the customer. What is blatantly simple to your client may need to be more apparent to their intended customer. This can sometimes be a lengthy debate with a client, but if you have clear goals and the data to support your choices, chances are the client will fall in line. 

Consider aesthetics and brand identity: Aesthetics and branding are crucial elements of design. When choosing colors, fonts, and other visual parts, consider how they align with your brand identity and appeal to your target audience. Realizing that your choices are set not by personal esthetics but by what is meant to inspire your target audience's interests. 

Test and validate: Before finalizing your design, you must test and validate your choices. This can include conducting usability testing, gathering user feedback, and analyzing user data. Testing and validation will help you identify any issues or problems with the design and make necessary changes. Make sure to test and validate with a section of your target audience. Your office mates are not a good choice for feedback. Unless she is a part of your target audience, your mom is not an excellent choice for feedback. Get out of your office and greet the public. 

Document and explain your choices: As you make design decisions, it is essential to document and explain your preferences. This can include creating design briefs, mockups, and prototypes and keeping track of your research and testing results. By writing down your choices, you can clearly articulate the reasoning behind your design decisions and ensure that they are consistent with the project's goals and objectives. 

As a customer of design services, you should expect intelligent design. It helps if you realize what is presented to you is ultimately for your customers. You want a designer to do something more than just something pretty for you. Of course, if this is what you want, you are the client, and I want you to feel our efforts are successful. But in this scenario, the goal and objective are only to please you. I want to build a brand that supports selling your product. My fingers are crossed that this will please you more. 

In conclusion, rationalizing your design choices is an essential part of the design process. It involves understanding your target audience, setting clear goals and objectives, gathering data and research, considering usability and functionality, and testing and validating your choices. So, no need to throw ideas at the wall to see if they stick. By taking the time to do the work so you can carefully consider and explain your design decisions, you can create a solid product or service that meets the needs of your audience. And ultimately, rationalizing your design choice makes providing something visually appealing and functional easier and more efficient.

Joe Powell: Internationally award-winning graphic designer, brand creator, and celebrated B2B and B2C marketing professional. For 25+ years in a remote contract role I specialize in best-practice tactics for visual (brand) identity and product development.