Hello (again) world! I have returned powerful with gifts…

Here we are again. I say that because this is not the first time I have put myself out there for the world to see online as a website. First time around was using my company StatikVerse (statikverse.co.za) as my portfolio. Since then I have learned and refined my processes.

Hi, I’m Kaye Pi (moniker of my initials KP but I prefer it as a name professionally) and I am an all-round creative with a curious mind for solutions. I started this website initially with the purpose of showing off my skills through a portfolio but I realized very quickly that I need to optimize my business process further than cold messaging on forums and emails. With my set of skills, not only can I host a shop of services and create Print-On-Demand potential, but I can consolidate sales efforts through showcasing my work and process.

And that process is what I want to introduce to you today.

There are two things that stuck with me in my K12 schooling life that are relevant to this conversation:

1. The Design Process I learned about during fifth grade in Mr. Van Wyk’s class of teaching the subject ‘Technology’. What a scary man Ngwenya was but one could always trust him to be a solid figure of trust and love.
2. The definition of an entrepreneur I (eventually) learned about in EMS (Economics and Management Sciences) during my seventh grade in Ms. Van Der Walt’s class and again in ninth grade during Mr. Fourie’s class.

The Design Process as prescribed by the then curriculum is a process used for designing solutions to problems that technology can help solve, and this is not limited to digital technology. You can think of it as a problem solving framework more than it is a technological process. It consisted of five steps of which I obsessively repeated as an acronym in my head back then for some reason (IDMEC):

1. Identify – In this step, we analyse the situation to identify the actual issue through defining who is being affected, by what, and finding the cause of the issue. Of course back then this was shown to us as an activity where the problem is explicitly stated but as you grow older into the schooling system we had to identify these things on our own through inspection and thinking tools.
2. Design – One of my favourite parts of the process. We would usually have to start drawing visuals of the solution alongside a written explanation of how the solution would work. I never used to brainstorm when it came to writing essays but in this part?! I cooked up a hurricane in my mind and research. This was from a child who enjoyed reading the dictionary and had Britannica Encyclopaedias around. After that we would have to evaluate the designs we came up with. This is where I first learned what a SWOT analysis was.
3. Make – After choosing the most viable solution, we would begin sourcing materials and building the solution. This part was bittersweet for me at first because I didn’t have the materials at times but as I grew up I become more resourceful as a person after some failures. This was also the part that taught me the ups and downs of group projects and depending on others.
4. Evaluate – In this section of the process we test the solution as much as we can. If we had to build a chair, we test its durability and usability. If it fails, its back to the drawing board, by first evaluating if we did indeed make the solution according to the specs of the chosen design from step 2, or if our flaw was from the assumptions taken in step 2. Having to experience this cycle taught me why its important to always leave some room and not wait until the last minute otherwise you won’t have the luxury to learn from your mistakes and thus miss a deadline. A lesson that – to be honest – is still being learned till this day on higher levels.
5. Communicate – Once your design is made and battletested, you can communicate to the stakeholders what your solution is and present it. Those stakeholders of course were our teachers and parents but the curriculum taught us well enough to understand contextual application beyond the scope of the class. Or at the very least I learned that much.

Now of course, my process goes this as it stands currently. One of the main factors to this is the definition I learned of what an entrepreneur is:

You see, from that one sentence alone I considerably changed up my approach over the years. In high school I used to sell beats and graphics such as phone themes for money and the occasional time I could help out at home. The 5 step process just doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to engaging with clients. Of course, it is also vital to understand that just because you do business it doesn’t mean you are an entrepreneur, but the other side of that coin sure does need an entrepreneur to have sound business practice, and thus my Design Process now is as follows:

1. Research – After initial engagement with the client about their issue, I conduct research in as my relevant contexts as possible. From market, to design, to competitor, to precedence, and beyond.
2. Inspiration – As a professional creative, one can not wait around for inspiration to hit them. You have to chase that sucker down through advanced brainstorming techniques. I am sometimes fortunate to have it hit me during my researching but to practice being inspired is an art of a science that creatives cannot afford to miss out on.
3. Sketching – Whether it is a visual solution, or a strategic design, it is important to get out that sketch pad and visualize the thinking. From Flow-Charts & SWOT Tables to Geometry & Typefaces, this step pushes thinking into a practical direction towards the brief’s requirements and client specs.
4. Colour – It is VERY important to understand that in the world we live in, psychology and communication is a vast subject. Deciding which colours to use for either a campaign or for a brand’s identity becomes paramount. Colour is to the eye (and thus the mind) what taste is to the tongue.
5. Fine Tuning – After a lot of experimentation and cycles of trail & error, we find ourselves nearing the peak of the mountain that perfection is. It has been said that when it comes to mastery, it is easier to cover 0% to 90% than it is to cover 90% to 100%. This is where fine tuning what we have comes in. The finesse of the solution.
6. Documentation – This step is not exclusive to the number six spot, as it helps to continuously document the process. However once we have fine tuned the proposed solution, it is very important to put together the whole process in a fileable format that can be revised and presented for future’s sake in all contexts (financial, optimization, etc.).
7. Presentation – As I conduct more business, I have found that this step ebbs and flows between briefs. One thing is consistent throughout the times however: Pristine, Clear and Captivating Presentation trumps overly detailed views. Whether the client wants constant presentation of work progress or all they care about is the end result, clarity is key.
8. Communication – This is the step that required me to learn more about speaking with conviction and trust. As important as it is to keep the line open during the entire process, sometimes the stakeholders the solution need you to go beyond the mile of speaking to your client. Of course there is a cost to this but one has to be prepared for the extension of the scope in this regard.
9. Revision – This step is where we potentially revisit the fine-tuning step, and apply the lessons learned from the evaluation step from the first Design Process I was exposed to.
10. Trust & Rapport – With great success, comes the great responsibility to maintain a relationship. This is a two-way street and not just from me as the service provider. Follow up emails and offers are key.

As you can see, my design process is a robust approach that is not limited in sequence but allows the freedom for a holistic development of the optimal solution for your needs. I don’t believe that this is the final design process and I would like to constantly improve on this, perhaps even pass it on as a legacy for future generations to improve on so it can be applicable beyond the services I offer as a template of approach to design the life we desire.