Today I thought I would peel back the curtain on how I approach design work/the design process before sharing with you an editorial we produced for the Caroline Logan Workshop this past spring. It goes without saying, however, that a vision is just a vision without the collaborative efforts of a dream vendor team. The magic truly happens with vendors – with their own respective time, creative vision, and talent – jump on board and work alongside you to make the vision come to life.

For me, design work – whether it be client based or editorial – begins with a few key ingredients:

1. A clear mind (which sometimes necessitates a clean working space and a clear inbox)
2. The right atmosphere (a quiet – free from distraction space, maybe a candle and my favorite Pandora station)
3. The overarching theme inspiration (this can be a picture, a feeling, a memory, a simple story.

The goal is to have something that grounds the design and ties all the elements together) From here, I start with the development of a mood board – which is often a collection of 3-4 images. The mood board is most often used for myself during the design process and its purpose is derived from the need to ground/focus what is being planned. The simplicity of the mood board also helps keep the vision focused. This is particularly important in our inspiration saturated world. An over stylized event feels forced. Forgetting details feel unfinished. Its about finding that sweet spot, that happy medium.

From the mood board I move the design work into a private pinterest board that touches on design elements for the various aspects of the event/editorial. The inspiration for these elements are sourced from discussions I’ve had with clients, from responses to a comprehensive design questionnaire and from images clients have shared that speak to the aesthetic they envision their event encompassing. This process includes iterations and edits in order to ensure there is a cohesiveness to all the touchpoints guests can experience. Being able to draw in elements that tell a story, that evoke a certain feel, and that are aesthetically beautiful are all features I strive to incorporate.

Today I thought I would share with you the story (albeit fictitious) that inspired the editorial shoot for the spring 2018 Caroline Logan Workshop in an effort to showcase how the preparatory work above translate into reality. Enjoy sweet friends – my hope is that you feel the heart behind the work when you explore the images.