Issue 1: New Beginnings
On fresh outlooks, new adventures, and finally posting on Instagram
🚀 We’re off!
I couldn’t be more excited to share the first issue of The Graphic Guide Blog with you all. This blog is a way for us to start each week off right together — to dive deep into the world of design, explore the things that make the world beautiful, and learn how we can make it even more beautiful together. I have so many amazing ideas for where I want to take this, but I know those ideas are limited compared to where this will take us!
Since this week marks both the first issue of the Substack AND the launch of the Aura Creative Instagram, this week’s theme is New Beginnings. Read on to find out how to make a new project successful, get inspired by this week’s soundtrack and moodboard, and see my absolute favorite rebrand of the year so far. Finally, please be sure to reach out with your burning design questions – or anything you’d like to see here going forward. Thank you so much for joining me!
✨ Moodboard of the week
The New Beginnings moodboard is fresh, bold, bright, and hopeful. The world is too beige and we will have none of that here. See the link below to view the original images and more like them on Pinterest.
🔍 Question of the week
“How do I explain my idea to a graphic designer?”
This is such a common thing I see with new clients — people worrying they don’t have the vocabulary or know-how to explain their ideas to their designer. You may not know what information is relevant or how to help your designer see the vision in your head. You may not even really know what you want in the sense that you may have a great idea but not a vision for what you want the finished product to look like. On the flip side you may have a very precise idea of what you want and not know how to express it. After all, if you could illustrate it perfectly, you’d just design it yourself.
Getting to your final vision is a team effort that requires work from both you and your designer. On the one hand, only you know what’s in your head. On the other, your designer’s job is not just to take your vision and make it real — it’s to guide you through the process and help you verbalize your needs. Because we, as designers, have been through this so many times, we know what needs to be asked and we know how to work together to clarify what you need (or at least we should!). The burden is not on you to explain your vision perfectly — it’s on us to listen, ask questions, and, where necessary, guess and check until we get it right. Every part of the design process is a dialogue, the groundwork most of all.
Hopefully, your designer will do this instinctually, but if they aren’t asking a lot of questions, don’t despair! There are plenty of things you can do that will empower you to get the result you need and make sure your designer understands exactly what you want before getting started.
Here’s how to make sure your designer gets your vision:
Your job: Arrange an initial call or Zoom with your designer, and come in with as much information as possible. This will certainly include a verbal description of your idea (no detail is too small) but should also include any supporting information you have. This may include a sketch (we won’t judge, I promise), a moodboard, or samples of things you like. If you come in with any examples, remember to say why you like them so we don’t learn the wrong lesson. There are no right or wrong words to use in any of this — you aren’t expected to know design language, and it’s fine if it’s messy. You basically want to throw everything you have at your designer. It is their job to sort through and clarify anything they don’t understand.
If there are gaps in your vision, that’s fine. Explain what you do know, and ask them what they recommend to fill in the gaps.
Your designer’s job: After your initial call, make sure your designer sends you a write-up of what you discussed to ensure that when they express your idea in their words, it aligns with what you have in mind. If they don’t do this automatically, request it! It’s also good to ask them to list your priorities in order, so you are aligned on what is non-negotiable if anything must be sacrificed. Finally, if there are any questions about style (i.e. if you don’t have an established brand identity or look) I also recommend asking for a moodboard — or multiple to choose from, if time and budget allow — to ensure you are visually aligned. Their summary should reflect what you have in mind and if not, it gives you a starting point to adjust from, which is much easier than a blank page.
While this can also be done via email, I highly recommend speaking (phone or Zoom are usually best) since back-and-forth interaction is an important part of understanding each other, and tone is also crucial. Finally, if they don’t get it right the first time, don’t panic, but also don’t be afraid to give feedback. We all like to get it right the first time, but sometimes it takes a little trial and error and that’s all part of the process.
Submit your burning design questions by sending me a message. Questions can relate to design itself, entrepreneurship, workflow, broad creativity, or anything you think I may be able to answer. There are no limits.
🎧 Soundtrack of the week
This week’s themed playlist is inspired by new adventures and positive outlooks. It’s also just full of bops. Give it a listen!
✏️ Design-spiration
I couldn’t love the Manischewitz rebrand more if I tried. It’s playful, it’s colorful, it took the most dated-looking brand (and the butt of so many jokes) and made it… cool? A true Passover miracle.
🌱 Touching Grass
📖 What I’m reading: Finishing up The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker — a beautiful and rich novel rooted in magical realism about two mythical creatures, both far from home, whose stories intertwine among the tenements of 19th-century New York. It’s amazing.
🥖 What I’m eating: It’s still Passover, so no bread unless it looks really good (shout out to that one bánh mì in Philadelphia and a bigger shout out to my sister Isabella for slapping me. I deserved that.). From Wednesday on, all gluten all the time.
📺 What I’m watching: I still have to finish up the last two episodes of Young Royals (I know, I don’t know who I am anymore). I also watched Prince of Egypt for the first time this weekend (again, Passover) and I’m mortified it took me this long. That movie slaps.
🎧 What I’m listening to: I literally can’t stop listening to Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan. No other Moody Millennial Bisexual™ has ever had this problem so this makes me very unique.
✨ What’s making me smile: I’m cleared to dance after a few weeks out with a sprained ankle.
🖊 Beyond design: I wrote the cover article for the March/April issue of The Irish Dance Globe, on Senior Ladies world champion Hannah Logar. Check it out here!