My Invitation Design Process
Having a streamlined process is one of the biggest keys to a happy client. As the designer, you want to make the design process as smooth, fun, and enjoyable for your clients who are getting married! This is an exciting time. Many of my stationery clients tell me that this is their favorite part of wedding planning because they can be a part of the creative process, and seeing the ideas come to life gets them excited for the big day! It is your job to stay organized, have clear communication, and make each step as simple as possible for your the happy couple.
Step 1: The Questionnaire
Once the client is booked, and has paid a deposit, it’s time to get started! The very first step is to get some information from them. The way I like to do this is through a short questionnaire that I send through Honeybook. Honeybook is my client management tool that I will use throughout the entire process to send files, communicate, and receive payments. I love using Honeybook because I can see all of my current projects and inquiries in one place, and it helps me keep track of all of my clients timelines and due dates. If you want to try Honeybook for yourself you can get 20% off here!
This step can also be done over a phone call, if you prefer. I suggest writing notes as you are on the call so that you can refer back to them as you’re designing. It’s important to get the necessary information, but be careful not to overwhelm the client with too many questions or too much detail with this questionnaire. A simple questionnaire will likely mean that your client will submit it back to you pretty quickly, keeping you from falling behind on your timeline. Honeybook will notify you once the questionnaire is opened, and again when it has been completed.
The main goal here is that we have an idea of where to get started with sketches and mockups. These will be refined throughout the process, so it’s okay to tie up the loose ends as you go. I make sure to ask some of the basic, important questions, like how they’d like their names written (full names? first names only?), will their parents names be mentioned as the host? and all of the main event information; date, ceremony and venue location, start times, etc. This is likely information that your client already has the answers to, and you won’t need to ask again later.
Some other questions I like to include on a questionnaire are design focused questions, especially if we have not spoken about this previously. Things like color scheme, wedding party attire, florals and decor. This will give me a good idea of their current vision for their day so that I can present them with designs that align with that vision.
Lastly, along with wedding design questions, I will also ask a series of stationery design questions, mostly in the form of multiple choice or a checklist, as your client probably doesn’t know much in this area! Here I want to find out more about their design preferences such as calligraphy styles vs. minimal fonts, watercolor illustrations vs. line drawings, bold vs. muted palette, etc. This will help me come up with ideas that fit their design style.
Step 2: Sketch it Out
It is important to have a sketching phase before jumping right into creating artwork, color palettes, and all the details. Sketches serve as a way to ensure that you are headed in the right direction, and not wasting time designing things that will ultimately be rejected. For example, you may have a great idea for a beautiful watercolor landscape of the venue on their main invitation, but if your client does not like this idea, there is absolutely no point in wasting time creating it.
Looking back at the questionnaire from step 1, I will sketch out 2-3 different design concepts for the client to review. This is just a simple black and white sketch, and I will write notes in the margins explaining some of the design choices I envision for each. From this initial sketch, you can get valuable feedback from your client about what design elements they would like to see brought to life. Together, you will narrow it down to just one sketch, OR, a combination of elements from different sketches. Those choices are what will be created in the next step.
Step 3: Create Digital Mockups
With a solid sketch, this next part becomes easy. In this step, I will present the client with only 1-2 designs (from the same sketch). Usually if there are 2 options here, it will likely be the same design in two color ways or with different colored envelopes for a slightly different look. This digital mockup will be a more detailed version of the sketch they’ve selected, including color, calligraphy elements, and illustrations. If you are unsure how to transfer your artwork and calligraphy from paper to your digital design software (I use Adobe Illustrator to create mockups), I teach exactly how to digitize your artwork in my course, Digitizing Pro. Click here to get access.
During the mockup stage, I will often include visual options for upgrades I feel are a good fit, that they may want to add as well, such as a ribbon, wax seal, or gold foil. Unless it is specifically asked about before hand, I will wait until this step to include upgrade options. Again, we want to keep the process as simple as possible, and at this stage, it is much easier to see how these additions would work with their suite, now that they are seeing it in full color and artwork is completed.
Step 4: Revisions
Now comes time to make it perfect! Revisions can include color changes, artwork tweaks, changes to the wording and/or adding in new wording for information that may have been unknown during the questionnaire phase, such as details card hotel booking information, rsvp dinner options, etc.
You will have to decide if you will set a limit on the amount of revisions you will allow without charge (and be sure to state this in your contract upon booking). For me, I do not set a limit on the number of revisions my client can make, as long as it is not completely steering away from the original sketch that we agreed on, that would make it a new design entirely. Otherwise, I am happy to revise as much as is needed up until the final approval for print.
Step 5: Send to Print
Before sending anything to print, you MUST get approval from your client that they approve the current design details!! Make sure your client knows that they will be responsible for any misspellings or grammatical errors once it has been sent to print, so advise them to look over the final proof carefully before approving. I will also be sure that any outstanding payments are made before sending the pieces into production.
Once we send to print, the overall design process is officially complete! Depending on the project, there may be a bit of assembly or envelope addressing involved which can add on some more time. At the time of final print approval, I will let my clients know my estimate for when it all should be complete!
These are the 5 steps that I follow for every single invitation design project that comes my way. Having a streamlined system that I follow every time, allows me to maximize on time, and to communicate and set expectations clearly with my clients.
Do you have a design process? I would love to hear yours.
Don’t forget, in my online course, Digitizing Pro, I teach you how to digitize your artwork to be printed just like I do for invitations. Check it out here.