Who I am

• I am a visual designer. I am an observer of people. I am fascinated by human nature. I have a colorful imagination and I see creative images photographically. I am a programmer. I am an artist.

What I’ve done to justify my credibility

• The amount of total sales for products I have designed, or helped create as a team effort, is in the billions of dollars. There’s a decent chance that you, or someone you know, has used one of them.

What I can do for you ( that no one else can )

• I have the unique ability to blend creative and technical. I am as at home programming as I am designing. And I enjoy doing both.

What I’ve been up to lately

Visioncanary

Company overview Company overview donutag.com cruisetheloop.com Company overview donutag.com cruisetheloop.com Company overview donutag.com cruisetheloop.com donutag.com cruisetheloop.com

Jackson Hole Daily

Job overview Job overview Design | Layout Copy editor Job overview Design | Layout Copy editor Job overview Design | Layout Copy editor Design | Layout Copy editor

Misc.

the50statesclub.com the50statesclub.com haresearpreserve.com the50statesclub.com haresearpreserve.com the50statesclub.com haresearpreserve.com haresearpreserve.com

Visioncanary, Inc.

Company overviewtop
• For the last four years I have been developing Web applications aside from my full-time job. I have two goals: One is to develop quality Web/apps that will provide utility and enjoyment, and could possibly be sold at some point; and the second is to immerse myself in complex programming situations that will provide as much of an optimal learning environment as I can muster on my own. I just recently opened up shop to the public and am actively soliciting projects ( I also did similar work before the dot-com bust ).

donutag.com
• A note tag placed on a two-dimensional space such as a map, store shelf or Website. The premise is that well-rounded content and ads for micro-enterprises or endeavors can not be well managed or placed at the global level. It’s targeted for a local level. The control of content lies within the power of a local representative, or franchise — they have a vested interest in it. A highly intuitive interface allows users to easily and quickly submit business or noncommercial information and customize their tag by dragging ads, pictures or background images onto a landing pad. Right on the tag. Right now. No apps. No search engine. No SEO. No 17 million results. No Webmaster.
  
  The system is all modular and portable in structure. It is meant to provide vast amounts of useful information, be ever-growing, and yet — and this is key — almost completely self-sustainable, with users trading ad space for content.
  
  Why is it unique and important? 1). It takes a menagerie of tagging systems and pulls them together under one roof. If users enjoy the familiarity and consistent uniformity, you own the roof. If catches on, users will flock to a system their friends an colleagues also use — there's a lot at stake! 2). This product opens up the possibility of tapping into about 75 percent more Web content than is currently in circulation. That’s a bold statement — how could that be possible? Well, it invites the masses by going way beyond those looking for pizzas, car rentals and hotels. It treats commercial and noncommercial as equal. It easily dances fluidly between inter- and intra- business. One system for both information and commerce. One system for both retail and management.
  
  Doesn't the internet already do this? Yes and no. Yes, content is out there if you have the resources to produce, update and sell it. No, it’s a mess. It’s weighted and biased; confusing and expensive. A streamlined approach offers more balanced content, and more of it. This just does not exist right now — and the company that can realize this opportunity will be a future leader. And the company stuck in the status quo will be left behind.
  
  Peer into the future:
donutag screen grabs

cruisetheloop.comtop
• A sample franchise of the donutag system. This application of the donutag is a travel-related site geared toward enticing both U.S. and international vacationers to drive the Teton Loop Scenic Byway. It provides a series of maps a provider can place a donutag on. When a user clicks on a category icon in a sidebar, all icons of that category are displayed on the chosen map.
cruisetheloop.com screen grabs

Teton Media Works, Inc.

Job overview
• Work was done for the Jackson Hole Daily newspaper and media (circulation 12,000 daily). Days were split between a layout artist; copy editor (AP national news and local editing, writing headlines and proofreading); ad configuration; and Web posting. Being a strong team player, having a passion for putting out an exceptional product, being a natural leader and mentor — yet always willing to learn, having an appetite for world knowledge, a willingness to make changes, a good sense of humor and impeccable attention to detail are some of the traits that helped me thrive in this fast-paced environment.

Design | Layout
• These are some of my faves out of the 12,000+ pages I’ve laid out. It’s the detail and nuances that make an ordinary grid-page special.
Design samples

Copy editortop
• Most of the 6,000+ headlines I’ve written were meant to summarize the story, without bias or humor. But, here’s some fun ones that might help draw you in or make you smile.
Editorial samples

Misc.

the50statesclub.com
• A simple way for users to keep track of how many states they’ve been to, share and compete with friends, and document their travels. Will expand into keeping track of other destination criteria (i.e., national parks, baseball parks, etc.) and hobbies (i.e., butterflies, birds seen, etc.).
the 50 states club

haresearpreserve.com
• Designed and implemented a six-lot subdivision near Ashton, Idaho. Responsible for government approvals, LLC management, development infrastructure, marketing and sales. Produced the promotional website below:
haresearpreserve.com

Keith Kraus

Professional

Resume Resume Descriptions Programming Applications Resume Descriptions Programming Applications Learning Gebhardt Kraus & Associates Keith Kraus Design Education Extracurricular fun facts Long resume Resume Descriptions Programming Applications Learning Gebhardt Kraus & Associates, Inc. Keith Kraus Design Education Extracurricular fun facts Long resume Descriptions Programming Applications Learning Gebhardt Kraus & Associates, Inc. Keith Kraus Design Education Extracurricular fun facts Long resume Learning Gebhardt Kraus & Associates, Inc. Keith Kraus Design Education Extracurricular fun facts Long resume

Non-professional

Dad Interests Dad Interests Pets Car Where Dad Interests Pets Car Where Dad Interests Pets Car Where Pets Car Where Car Where

Professional

Resume
View, print or download resume

Job descriptions
• These are some of the hats I’ve worn: Web developer | User experience - interface designer | Visual designer | Senior industrial designer | Senior graphic designer | Illustrator | Branding consultant | Layout artist | Map artist | Icon artist | Sketch artist | Font artist | Wireframe artist | Packaging designer | Touch-up artist | Graphic production artist | Writer | Copy editor | Proofreader | Marketing consultant | Sales and marketing | Owner | Partner | Corporate manager | Project manager | Independent Contractor | Bookkeeper | End-of-the-day floor sweeper

Programming | Databasetop
• Javascript | Javascript - AJAX | PHP | CSS | CSS3 | DOM | MySQL | HTML | MAMP

Applicationstop
• Adobe Creative Suite 6 - CS6 | Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Illustrator - SVG | Adobe InDesign | Adobe Acrobat | Quark Xpress | Microsoft Excel | AdForce

Current learning focus
• HTML5 | jQuery | jQuery plugins | jQuery UI | jQuery mobile | mobile responsive design | responsive Web design - media queries | iMovie | Adobe Flash | Actionscript | SEO

Gebhardt Kraus & Associates, Inc.
• Design services included graphic design and production, Web media development and illustration. Responsibilities involved project management, visual design, final production, company sales and corporate management.
  
  Large projects included the cover designs and implementation for Scott Foresman’s classroom “Science” books and related materials. There’s a good chance you know of a child that used these classroom textbooks as part of this multibillion dollar program. For Prentice Hall, another large publishing company, I designed the prototype and wrote comprehensive template specifications for their “Realidades” (Spanish) teachers’ edition book for multiple large fulfillment houses to follow. I also designed and produced a number of packaging components such as DVD cover inserts and produced the covers for their high school Geometry and Algebra programs, which are still used in schools nationwide.
  

Keith Kraus Design
• If you walked into a Sears store about four years ago, you would see a snowthrower I designed over 13 years ago. The ageless design was also picked up by many other product brand names. Also, a colorful and dynamic point-of-purchase catalog booklet, signage, and leave-behind brochure for Sears Outdoor Furniture helped increase in-store sales in that department 60% nationwide in one year.
  
  For Motorola, I produced over 50 point-of-purchase cellphone graphics display cards, advertising graphics materials for their StarTAC cellphone, recruiting brochures and numerous icon design|illustrations, including three that were trademarked.
  
  Also produced in this timeframe were the design and accompanying illustrations of numerous brochures for Anixter, Inc.; for McDougal Littell, book layout for “The Americans,” an American history book, and the four-book series “The Language of Literature.” Sears (plus may other brands) snowthrower Snapper riding lawnmower Sears outdoor furniture sales packet

Education
• Bachelor of Fine Arts
  Industrial Design
  University of Illinois at
  Champaign-Urbana
  

Extracurricular fun facts
• Did you know: I have a Class A, CDL truck driver license; I’ve operated a backhoe, side-loader, skid loader (Bobcat and Case) and forklift, I’ve developed a subdivision; I’ve been the treasurer for a different 90-lot subdivision; I’ve worked as a stonemason; I’ve worked as a laborer in swimming pool - water feature construction; In a plastics factory and machine shop; I’ve renovated two 100-year-old houses; and I’ve been rich (self-made) and I’ve been poor (right now I’m poor, also self-made.)
4211 North Pulaski renovation

Long resume
The unabridged version

Non-professional

Dadtop
• I’m a dedicated father. I have two great kids. Raising them and having fun with them occupies most of my free time and provides great enjoyment. I get a huge kick going to my son’s sporting events. My daughter is attending Boise State. Mia Sink artist Dema Crazy fast video Their mother must be very good looking. Always up for squeaky-clean modeling assignments.

Interests
• That’s me Although I work almost 24/7 right now, in the past I have loved to travel. I’ve been to all 50 states, Russia, Japan, South America and Europe. Since I got paid to read the newspaper at work, I’m pretty well read. I’m an avid Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears fan. I enjoy woodworking and landscaping. Someday, when and if I ever retire, I’d like to re-take-up watercolor painting.

Petstop
• I know you care. Tricksey Juice Box Charlie

Car
• You want to know what I drive, right? Well, it’s a 2002 Saturn. 231,000+ miles These studded puppies get me over the Teton Pass in winter blizzards.

Wheretop
• Flexible, but based in Driggs, Idaho, for now (the tech mecca of the world.) Yes, we do have Internet. Why Driggs? This is my view when I take a rare break (It’s sort of like a “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” type of experience.)

keith@visioncanary.com
312 282 7307

Hire me

Full-time
• I’d love to find a great full-time position for the right company. I’m looking for growth opportunity, the chance to be around smart co-workers, some good camaraderie and people to share a good laugh with once in a while. I strive to make the people that hire me come across as brilliant decision makers — and I usually succeed.

Contract | Project
• Having done contract/project work for a long time, I’m very comfortable with it. I know how to complete a project — from start to finish. I can give you that “look” you want.

Why contact?

• Well, say hi. Tell me your mother’s maiden name. Tell me I have a word spelled rong. Tell me you like the site. Tell me you hate the site — but give me some useful feedback — don’t be a hater or troll, life is too short. Tell me I didn’t follow my own rules. Tell me I’m an idiot — it keeps my ego in check. Tell me I’m a genius — it strokes my ego. Take useful time out of your busy schedule!

What you can expect

Design

Tone Theme Tone Theme Focus Brand | Identity | Anchor Tone Theme Focus Brand | Identity | Anchor Impact Intuitive | Symbolism Clean and simple Loose Fun Tempo Form follows function Function follows form Contemporary Unique Complexity of thought Beauty is in the details Identify palette Soul Surprising Availability of information Structure Credibility Flexible Modular User continuance Accessability Sustainability Tone Theme Focus Brand | Identity | Anchor Impact Intuitive | Symbolism Clean and simple Loose Fun Tempo Form follows function Function follows form Contemporary Unique Complexity of thought Beauty is in the details Identify palette Soul Surprising Availability of information Structure Credibility Flexible Modular User continuance Accessability Sustainability Focus Brand | Identity | Anchor Impact Intuitive | Symbolism Clean and simple Loose Fun Tempo Form follows function Function follows form Contemporary Unique Complexity of thought Beauty is in the details Identify palette Soul Surprising Availability of information Structure Credibility Flexible Modular User continuance Accessability Sustainability Impact Intuitive | Symbolism Clean and simple Loose Fun Tempo Form follows function Function follows form Contemporary Unique Complexity of thought Beauty is in the details Identify palette Soul Surprising Availability of information Structure Credibility Flexible Modular User continuance Accessability Sustainability

Creative Methodology

Brainstorming Brainstorming Note pad Shoot for the moon Brainstorming Note pad Shoot for the moon Lose the committee Be a good editor Environment custodian WWWWH Know your tools Don't settle Brainstorming Note pad Shoot for the moon Lose the committee Be a good editor Environment custodian WWWWH Know your tools Don't settle Note pad Shoot for the moon Lose the committee Be a good editor Environment custodian WWWWH Know your tools Don't settle Lose the committee Be a good editor Environment custodian WWWWH Know your tools Don't settle

Design

Tone
• Fun, enticing, alluring, serious, warm, friendly or inviting. I set the tone. Know your user. Put yourself in your user’s shoes. Think like they do. It would be a rare instance when you didn’t want your user to be very comfortable.

Theme
• Consistency across pages builds user confidence in quality. Is there harmony or conflict? Make it sing as one.

Impacttop
• Does the design pass the 4ft. test. It should have immediate impact from 4 feet away. Invite the user in from afar. Tell them immediately why they should be interested. Don’t waste a second.

Focus
• Product or art? For Product: Make sure focal point is clear. I’m the art director and movie director, the master of attention. Don’t confuse the user, they should know where to look first, without thinking. They should know where to look second, etc. If I’m selling a product, it needs to have focus all the way through to making the sale. For art: This might be the opposite approach, in that I want the user to intentionally get lost in the site and explore at their own pace. To allow them to ponder, without bias.

Brand | Identity | Anchortop
• I want to anchor my brand and establish and reinforce my identity. I want to plant my brand in the back of peoples’ minds. This will usually find it’s way to the top left, or top center of the page, where most people are accustomed to looking for it. I also want to always let the user know where they are at, at one glance.

Intuitive | Symbolism
• I’m a believer in not tricking the user. People have preconceived ideas of how things should function or look. Work under this premise, don’t fight it. A button should look like a button.

Clean and simpletop
• Keep it simple stupid. Keep it clean and uncluttered. Use generous spacing. Strive for consistency. Minimize fonts and colors. Is that drop shadow really necessary? Do we need all those icons? That rule? Fear the widget monger that wants everything.

Loose
• Hang loose! Chill. Tight and rigid is easy. Coming across as free and easy, and uninhibited is much more difficult. Strive to keep it free-flowing and light. Look for ways to break down hard edges and rigidity. Start loose and then tighten up as necessary, not the other way around.

Funtop
• Did the user leave smiling? Did you make them laugh, or at least soothe them? Did you lighten up their busy day or burden them more? Did you make them happy?

Tempo
• Keep it smooth and naturally flowing. Do not force the action. As the director and editor I control the speed. Keep it upbeat. Don’t bore the user to death. Make sure the user doesn’t get bogged down in a particular area. Are there traps where things get stuck? Identify them and change them. Since your user has a limited time and attention span, keep the pace moving briskly.

Form follows functiontop
• It has to work. If it doesn’t work it fails, and credibility is lost. Design enhances content, not the other way around. the product cannot get lost in the design. Buttons activated by a thumb need to be the size of the tip of a thumb, with ample spacing. Type needs to be clear and legible. People read left to right, not top to bottom, or zig-zag. Black on white text is easier to read than white on black text. Do you want to sit in that sleek, pointy and hard chair, or do you want to sit in that comfy chair?

Function follows form
• Is the product weak? A knockout design can sell a lame or mundane product.

Contemporarytop
• A dated design reflects on the product. A contemporary design tells the user that this product is hot and the information current. I did some great stuff a number of years ago that I wouldn’t even show now. As we all know, trends and technology change at light speed, but some of the basic building blocks outlined here will give a time-proven foundation. Paint that foundation red. Keep it updated and updatable. Beware twenty-somethings, teenagers already think you’re old-school. So be trendy, be chic, keep up — it’s part of your job.

Unique
• There are billions of web pages, and oh so little time. Do you stand out in a crowd? Do you invite the user to say "Hey, look at this," and want to share their excitement? Or are you just a little fish in the ocean?

Complexity of thoughttop
• Don’t dumb down your user. Stimulate thought, ideas. Clip art, staged stock photos, and stupid, unnecessary icons come to mind. Bonus if you can communicate effectively on different intellectual levels with the same design.

Beauty is in the details
• Attention to details builds confidence. Sloppy work erodes confidence. And yes, users can tell. Stellar typography. Pixel perfect: every pixel counts, every color tone needs to be correct and vibrant. Take the time to go into often used and predominant small type and icons and and clean up out of focus pixels to make them clean and sharp. Only resize photos once from the original.

Identify palettetop
• Know your palette. Know your limitations. If you have multiple devices or different mediums to accommodate, design for all at once. Don’t try to design for one and then later retrofit it to the others. Identify your best-case and your worst-case scenarios and build inward.

Soul
• Got soul? How about passion and personality? No? You’ve got blah. Sometimes sites with great art can pull this off, but for the most part it’s the human spirit — a photo that captures the essence of the human spirit — that will always trump interest, and the user’s emotional commitment, over a landscape, still-life object or a box. The best websites show people — real people — with a smile or passion or personality or emotion. There is just no substitute. And this does not include contrived stock images, which are a waste of valuable space and insult the user.

Surprisingtop
• WOW! your user today. But don’t annoy them — there’s a big difference.

Availability of information
• Navigation should be intuitive. Click-throughs should be minimized. Your goal or product should be front and center, and not just a click away. Toggling data should be effortless. You should be able to find the information you want with a maximum of three clicks, zero is preferred.

Structuretop
• A strong underlying grid is easy to follow. It instills confidence. It beckons quality. It makes your layout easy to follow. And it makes the site easier to produce.

Credibility
• Your site is a direct reflection on the product. Your product takes on the appearance of the site. A poor site implies a poor product. A great site implies a great product — worthy of your trust or hard-earned money.

Flexibletop
• Stay flexible and elastic. Know that you may have to accommodate different mediums and devices that don’t even exist yet. Keep boxes for content expandable (or contractable) for growth, easy additions and modifications, future features and different languages.

Modular
• Parts should be able to be interchanged, added, removed, callable on-the-fly and moved around easily.

User continuancetop
• Where do we go from here? Do we want the user to coming for a second helping? A third? Do we need creative ideas to keep the site fresh and vibrant each visit — "what’s new today?" Do we need to anchor our information and make it intuitively accessible so our site becomes a valuable resource of information. If the user liked the first product, will they be enticed to buy another? Will they be inspired to bookmark the page? They will be more likely to come back if they do. Will they reach out and share the site with their friends and colleagues — why?

Accessability
• Be inclusive. Don’t shut out the handicapped, disabled or people that can’t afford the latest and greatest. Cater to the aging as well as the coveted young crowd. Research their needs. What goes around comes around.

Sustainabilitytop
• Will it take a small army of workers to maintain the site, update it, and change it for future needs? Can users provide compelling content on their own — taking the burden off of you?

Creative Methodology

Brainstormingtop
• Start brainstorming from day one. Think relevant to bizarre. Leave nothing off the table. Someone else, or you later, may be able to expand on your thought. Don’t think you’ll be able to just sit down on demand and come up with a host of ideas. That is actually a step that can be eliminated — come up with your ideas while you’re slogging through the mundane parts of a project. Go off on tangents. Think about how your product relates to the universe, textures, all five senses, your life, your daughter’s soccer game. Expand your mind as you never thought possible.

Note pad
• Carry around a small pad of paper. Jot down ideas as they occur. Clear your brain for the next idea. In the shower, walking the dog, driving to work, dreaming, etc. These can be some of your best ideas, because they come uninhibited, without pressure and natural, and stepping away and looking at the project from a distance. Don’t worry. You don’t have to use them all, but you’ll have a library of ideas you can later sort through and pick what be a hidden gem. Discipline yourself on this — thoughts are a fleeting resource.

Shoot for the moontop
• Set your goals high. How can you achieve the best if you don’t even try? Determine the very best world and work down from there. Don’t try to create what you perceive other people want — because you may be wrong — they may want you at your best. If you feel you have to show what you think they want, also show what you want, and what you think they need, in unadulterated form. Fight for what you believe in and give reasons why. Show confidence and leadership.

Lose the committee
• Avoid creating by committee, you’ll get a watered-down version of a great concept. If you’re working in a group, go with the best whole idea rather than a collection of loose input, some of which may not come from the best minds. And some of which may be incorporated to satisfy egos instead of merit. Pick the best, and go with it as a whole entity. Egos are your enemy, and everyone has an idea — some are good, and you should absolutely consider them, and they will keep your own ego in check, but a lot are just plain bad and slow down the process. Picking a good direction should be a natural choice, and therefore a no-brainer, there’s no room to clutter it up unnecessarily. Know when to say "yes," and when to say "no."

Be a good editortop
• Some of the best ideas aren’t created from scratch. A great designer can recognize a great concept in a crowd. He or she can pick a needle out of a haystack of recycled ideas, or parts of ideas, and apply the right one to the right application.

Custodian of the environment
• Ask yourself if you’ve made the world a better place. Are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

WWWWHtop
• Answer the basics: Who, What, When, Where and How. Who am I? Establish identity and brand. Establish personality. Provide contact information. What am I trying to accomplish and what do I want to show? Establish a thesis and follow through on it. When was the site updated? Timestamp it. Where am I? Give a sense of geological reassurance. Why am I here? Quickly reinforce why the user is here, and why they should stay. How am I going to proceed? How am I going to dazzle the user?

Know your tools
• Be fluent in the tools you need to present your concept. Time should be spent on the creative process, not figuring out how to make it happen. Speed comes with knowledge.

Don’t settle
• Push yourself. Be your biggest critic. Did you come up with a great creation? Great. Now do one more, approaching from a completely different direction. Like that one? Go for one more. Strive for at least 3 completely different vantage points. Don’t just present variations on the same idea.

Soft map and sequence for preliminary development

Gather

Goals Goals Resources Interfaces Cost estimate Goals Resources Interfaces Cost estimate Timeframe Goals Resources Interfaces Cost estimate Timeframe Resources Interfaces Cost estimate Timeframe Timeframe

Rough Outline

Idea growth Idea growth Toy with ideas Identify categories Idea growth Toy with ideas Identify categories Idea growth Toy with ideas Identify categories Toy with ideas Identify categories

Visual Outline

Category bubble sketches Category bubble sketches Visual bubble overall Category bubble sketches Visual bubble overall Prioritize categories Category bubble sketches Visual bubble overall Prioritize categories Visual bubble overall Prioritize categories Prioritize categories

Prototype

Mock-up Mock-up Rock back-and-forth Make it work Step back Mock-up Rock back-and-forth Make it work Step back Mock-up Rock back-and-forth Make it work Step back Rock back-and-forth Make it work Step back Step back

Gather

Goals
• What are we really trying to accomplish? Think hard about this question. Make sure the client has a firm answer. Is there more than one goal? You can prioritize them later, but write all the goals down. Is it to sell a particular product? Many products? Exposure? Goodwill? Write down what you are trying to accomplish in one or two sentences — and refer back often.

Resources
• Take inventory of your available resources. Photos, video footage, PDFs, graphs and diagrams, screen grabs, fonts and copy might be some. Can you work with what you have available, or do you need more? How and when will you be able to obtain it? Is it up to snuff? How are you going to get it to the level you need?

Interfacestop
• Identify the mediums and devices people will use to access your product. The first step is to identify who the user actually is — or who you want them to be. Once you have an idea of who you are targeting think about all the devices they may use. Also think about what mediums they are most comfortable with. If you’re designing for everyone, design for everyone, and make make it work for everyone. Make it desirable for the masses. Did you know a tan clock will outsell a red clock 10 to 1 at a mass-market discount store? That for high volume sales, the color green is considered “death?”

Cost estimatetop
• Determine a cost estimate by breaking down the honest estimated time it will take to finish all the steps outlined. Multiply that by your rate (your rate should be double what it would cost to hire competent help in a time crunch.) Multiply that number (time x rate) by 2. Why? Two reasons: 1.) Because things will not go smoothly — equipment will break down, etc. This is the rule — not the exception. Use the rare time when things go smoothly to offset when time triples. 2.) Build in extra time to make small unforeseen changes and tweaks. You or the client can’t anticipate everything. Asking for additional funds for petty things will only annoy the client and create tension. Underestimating is a common pitfall for rookie managers and owners. They want to believe things will run without glitches and changes are rare. Glitches will happen and changes will occur. A poor estimate can lead to cutting corners in other areas and result in a substandard product. Realize that in large corporations it can be very difficult for your contact to ask his/her superiors for additional funding for a project. Don’t unnecessarily put him/her in that situation. If the scope of the project changes dramatically, explain in detail why. Always put an hourly rate in the cost estimate for additional unforeseen work so you have an easy path to updating the estimate. If you need to go with a lower rate because you need the work, that’s fine, but go through the same process and reduce from there — at least you’ll understand the process.

Timeframe
• Give a realistic timeframe for how deadlines will be met. Base it on your “x 2” estimate, as things will never go exactly as planned and you will be doing the client a disservice by rushing your work. Don’t paint yourself into a corner. Never volunteer a time estimate you don’t have to — and if you do, keep it open-ended. Changes are inevitable — it’s part of the process. Meeting an agile schedule would be nice, but it leans toward concentration on the surface, with little depth. Great ideas sometimes need complex thought and algorithms. So, surface or deep? Make sure you understand what the client is really looking for here, and budget accordingly.

Rough Outline

Idea growthtop
• Start compiling notes and doodles on paper from the get-go. Ideate your brainstorming concepts. Go through your “Design” and “Creative Methodology” categories and write down how this product relates to each of them. Start with “WWWWH.” Remind yourself of the goals and and restate them here. Clear your ideas out of your head and flowing on paper. Make room in your brain for fresh, new ones.

Toy with ideas
• Play around with your concepts. Doodle up logos in Photoshop. Be an artist. Be an explorer. Make a short movie or a slideshow. Test some emerging technologies in relation to your project. Have some uninhibited fun.

Identify categoriestop
• Start picking keywords out of your notes to title future organizational categories. Start breaking down your notes into rough, outline form. Make your keywords descriptive, but short and concise.

Visual Outline

Category bubble sketches
• Grab your keywords and start drawing category bubbles. Create sub-category bubbles inside. Create sub-sub-category bubbles within those. Start giving yourself a visual representation of your rough outline.

Visual bubble overall
• Take your newly-developed bubble categories and create a large page bubble that starts to show the total picture. This will give you a visual, in modular form, of what needs to be on the page.

Prioritize categoriestop
• Start giving priority to your categories. Rate them for focus, placement and importance. Rearrange the modules accordingly. You now have a rough overall visual presentation of your outline. To make sure you are in sync with your client you could make an informal presentation and get feedback at this juncture.

Prototype

Mock-up
• Now that you’ve created a rough visual map, it’s time to bring it to life as a mock-up. You need to get your ideas off of paper and onto a screen. Create a new document and start pouring in content. Don’t worry about making it perfect, it will change anyway. Have your copy typed and ready to flow. Have your artwork accessible. Create container boxes to house each of your main category modules (Give them ID and class names that can easily be changed with a find/change command to speed up the process.) Fill each of them up with raw content. Create sub-containers within those boxes and fill them up, too.

Rock back-and-forth
• Now that you’ve got something tangible to work with, you can finally start developing it into its final form. Start styling. Pick an item of importance and make it the best it can be. See if you can make it relate back fluidly with the overall scheme. Pick out your weakest areas and make them your best. Continually repeat this process until your weak areas have vanished.

Make it worktop
• Start on functionality. Take your visual greatness and add the dimension of user workability. Make sure it is functioning as well as it looks. Abandon trying to sell your ideas through communication. Your product should do the talking. You should be able to hand off your product to a potential user and it should be self-explanatory — you’re only input might be talking through functions that will later be further developed on the back-end.

Step backtop
• Step back and then reassess your objectives. Are you meeting them, or did you get off track? Tweak as necessary. There is no definitive roadmap for driving from document setup to presentation. You need to trust your instincts, recognize the good and the bad, be your own biggest fan and worst critic, and remain flexible and tenacious until you get there. Remain upbeat, you will arrive!