Team Reflection: Learning and Pushing Our Creativity Forward

In this blog, the iHub’s summer Graphic Design team shares their experiences bringing creative projects to life. Bela and Blossom reflect on their challenges and how their learning helped them improve their process in both work and life. 

Written by the Graphic Design Team

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While working at the Innovation Hub, we learned so much about design strategies that went beyond what we usually do as graphic designers. Through creative collaboration and continuous iteration, we gained new perspectives that pushed us to think outside the box – perspectives we gained from each other’s feedback and creative mindsets. 

Creative Collaboration 

A notable aspect of our process was creative collaboration. Every member of the team acted as a piece of a complete puzzle; different perspectives came together to create a whole product.  

Blossom: Before coming to the iHub, I did not have much experience in sharing a creative space with others. The highlight of collaborating with other designers at the iHub was the construction of the Annual Report cover. Through multiple rounds of collaborative brainstorming and quick sketches, we transformed the cover from merely an idea into a polished, final product. Working alongside each other during each phase of the process boosted our productivity as a team, because we could instantly receive feedback and apply it to our work.   

Bela: Going into the process of designing the Annual Report, I realized that this was a significant project, since it’s a document that would be displayed to the UofT community and beyond. Having this in mind, it was difficult to come up with creative ideas at first, but with the help of former graphic designers at the iHub, we were able to share and discuss our design processes. Working with former iHub graphic designers, I learned about their processes, techniques, and approach to collaborating with the team, and applied this new learning to my design process. Seeing my team members’ sketches inspired me to not only trust the process but trust my design instincts and keep iterating on my work.   

While creating the Annual Report, we worked as a group to create layouts, individual elements, and graphics. Creative collaboration served as a medium through which we shared ideas and were motivated by others’ processes. The iHub ensured that a shared creative space served its purpose by giving us a chance to work together and deliver effective final products. 

Being Open to Change 

In our initial projects, we didn’t always find it easy to go outside our comfort zone and learn a new process. But over time, we learned to be open to change, which helped us grow our skills as graphic designers. 

Blossom: Working at the iHub, I learned a new process called the ‘design sprint’. This is where we would quickly create rough sketches under a time constraint in multiple rounds. I had never done anything like this before, so this was a big change for me. I’ve always been someone who takes my time in the initial stages of the process, but the design sprint opened my eyes to a new way of collaborating with the team.  

Bela: Oftentimes, I would be over-confident with what I created but would later understand through design critiques that not everyone feels the same as I do. Everyone brings their unique perspective to the table and will always have something to add to my ideas. I realized that if I didn’t positively take constructive criticism, I would not grow or expand my skills.  

Being open to change is not just about changing or adapting to certain design processes or work procedures but also growing ourselves. Change has taught us to be more progressive in who we are and to be more open-minded to things, even if it’s difficult the first time. But as time passed, we became natural at it. 

Perseverance Through Iteration 

The iHub creative process taught us how to persevere through iteration. Anytime we received feedback in the early stages of designing the Annual Report, we found it difficult to come up with new ideas while keeping the theme grounded. But we realized this feedback was not a limitation to our work—this feedback gave us new direction, allowing us to explore different ideas. 

Blossom: As a creative, I have done most of my projects individually, which means I’ve only ever had my creative input. Working with the graphic design team at the iHub, however, meant being sent back to the drawing board to explore new ideas with the team. In producing visuals for the Annual Report, we received feedback at every stage of the process to make sure that we did not stray from the overarching theme. This taught me the value of being receptive to critique and the importance of iteration in design. 

Bela: When working on the Annual Report, I wanted to make sure the design of the report was as meaningful as the projects contained within it. Creating a standout design comes with being receptive to feedback and being open to change. Anytime I received feedback on my work, I felt determined to get it right and move the project forward.  

Iteration and feedback loops may have seemed like an endless process at times, but we realized through these frequent feedback loops between the drawing board and the final product, we were able to craft something we’re proud of 

Growing Our Skills as Designers 

Our time as part of the Graphic Design team at the iHub has taught us so many things aside from project development. We are now experienced in pushing our creativity forward, but we have found ways to be compelling storytellers from start to finish, while working through the obstacles we encounter. Through creative collaboration, openness to change, and perseverance through iteration, we’ve grown both as designers and individuals. We hope all future designers will be able to grow their impossibilities into possibilities. 

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Contributers