Live by Design
Seven design steps of the creative process that come handy in everyday life.
Don't be intimidated by the word design. While just reading it may immediately conjure up images of HGTV, complicated blueprints, or Fashion Week, you don't need to be a trained designer to introduce elements of design into your everyday life. And I'm not just talking about the way things look. When you start to think like a designer, you can more effectively frame for yourself—and the world—the person you want to be and the life you want to have. And who couldn't use a little real-life renovation?
Let's break it down. Here's how we, as designers, typically approach a project.
1. Set the goal
No matter how great life is, there’s always an opportunity for a design refresh. That’s why you often see big-name brands rolling out updated logos. The move grabs attention and often strengthens credibility. When we move from brand to individual, there are endless areas of our lives we can refresh or redesign: career, relationships, spirituality, fitness, lifestyle. The list goes on.
So, ask yourself this: What are you looking to accomplish?
Now here’s the bigger question: Why?
When you start to interrogate your goals, you can begin to better understand what makes you tick. For negotiators, it’s the difference between position and interest. An example: You know you want to lose 20 pounds. But why? Is it because you want to look like someone you saw in a magazine? Is it because of a high school reunion? Is it so you can strong enough to play more with your children? The deeper you get, the stronger the commitment you can form.
And that commitment will play a critical role as you move from goal setting to taking action.
Once you’ve set your goal, make sure to do your research about those who could further inform your approach—be they athletes, health coaches, or entrepreneurs.
2. Brainstorm
At Marabunta Creative, we spend much of the early stages of a project in deep brainstorming. What does that mean?
We let our creativity flow: No idea is too big or too small, too wild or unformed. (In Spanish, the translation for brainstorm is lluvia de ideas—raining ideas—and I love to think of the ideation process in just that way.) When we’re trying to take on a new concept—in life or in work—it’s not just about doing more; it’s about doing differently. To do so, you must give yourself permission to imagine and look for inspiration in new places and in new forms. I often find myself absorbed in a book or in nature or even the geometric patterns on dinnerware in some foreign country. Those ideas come back and take new shape in my life and work.
3. Build a Strategy
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
That’s why building a strategy is essential to reaching your goal. I find it’s often helpful to build in lots of smaller goals within your strategy so that you can measure success along the way and hold yourself accountable to a timeline.
This is something we have a lot of experiencing with at Marabunta Creative: We provide thoughtful and detailed analysis to our collaborators so that we can identify not only needs but also potential. Through that, we can establish where we want to go, what we need to accomplish, how we’re going to do it, and an ambitious but achievable timeline for doing so. Without all that, it’s like throwing darts without a target.
You can think of your strategy a bit like a road map. It’s important to revisit it often to ensure you’re headed in the right direction and reaching all the milestones in a timely manner. When you think about that way, it’s also easier to visual the near-term and longer-term goals and to break down the tasks that will help get you where you need to be. That’s when having a checklist can be really helpful. I always encourage writing everything down—on paper or digitally—and setting calendar reminders.
I’m a big fan of the app Todoist. It lets the Marabunta team and I break down big projects into manageable pieces. Taking the time to create a fully fleshed out strategy also helps you identify early wins—and there’s nothing more powerful in creating momentum early in a project.
4. Anticipate the challenges
When’s the last time everything went totally according to plan? It’s good to anticipate the challenges you’re likely to face—whether that’s well-intentioned friends who will distract you from your goals or the realities of family life—and to embrace a nimble approach through your strategies. Nobody could have seen the global pandemic coming, but those who were nimble were best prepared to weather it.
5. Test and Improve
At Marabunta, we intentionally pause for reflection. By pausing, we can observe and absorb what is happening, how we feel about the plans and changes we’ve made, and, most importantly, adapt when necessary.
When we are working on a project, we always come up with more than one solution. That way, we can analyze and move forward with the perfect fit. This works in real life, too: Try to think of the same challenge through different lenses. You will never achieve the very best if you just go with the first solution that comes to mind. There’s no need to overthink it, but you’ll be amazed by what may come to you the more you think about it.
6. CTRL+Z is Available
When things don’t go as planned, we must be prepared to make adjustments and modifications, and sometimes that means stepping back and even beginning from scratch. It’s the only way we can move on to something that really works.
As a designer and life coach, I’m used to going back to the drawing board. It’s all part of designing my best life.
Find a set of wallpapers for computer and phone screens :)
- Mara Zapiain Monroe
Mara Zapiain Monroe, is a multiskilled designer and brand strategist. She is Marabunta’s director: updates the website, manages social media accounts, and produces the latest videos and photo shoots, along with other marketing efforts. As a creative, she travels the world getting insights and the latest trends regarding branding and technologies.
