A DESIGNER' S RESEARCH MANUAL: SUCCEED IN DESIGN BY KNOWING YOUR CLIENTS AND WHAT THEY REALLY NEED

Doing research can make all the difference between a great design and ineffective design. By engaging in competitiveintelligence, customer profiling, color and trend forecasting, etc., designers are able to bring something to the table that reflects a commercial value for the client beyond a wellcrafted logo or brochure. Although scientific and analytical in nature, research is the basis of all good design work. This book provides a comprehensive manual for designers on what design research is, why it is necessary, how to do it, and how to apply it to design work. Associate professor Jenn Visocky O’Grady is agraduate of the Kent State University visual communication design program (BS, & MFA), and hasbeen teaching at Cleveland State since the spring of 1999. She is also cofounder and principal of Enspace Inc.