Who I am

I Raymond Ryan am a Graphic Designer and Illustrator based in the Chicagoland area. I design to serve, elevate and provide value to those I work for and with.

My specialties are illustration, layout and print design. These are the base framework for any given design oriented project I may do. I find even when I am working on projects that are exclusively digital, I am creating and using assets that are versatile so no design is limited to a single application.

What makes me unique is I do more than design. When I make a design I customize it to fulfill the purpose of it’s application but I make it as “evergreen” or everlasting as possible. This way it is versatile, unique and most importantly repeatable offering the most value to the client and options in execution. This is done in any number of ways, whether I am making vector illustrations or creating style guides detailing fonts, colors, layouts and application standards unique to the project.

My Process

  • 01. Define the Problem

    Have a conversation to develop a diagnosis and define what it is, is required for the project. This is done through a conversation, email or phone call with a series of questions, Ultimately, my goal is to design something that will best suit a client’s needs to help them meet their goal.

  • 02. Research & Development

    This is gathering information, reference material, new assets if required. This step is a matter of finding inspiration which will drive the vision for the project and developing a concept of the project’s visual elements. If there are sketches in this step, they are rough, just to help actualize the ideas. This step often includes a lot of ideation and is a pivotal root cause of innovation.

  • 03. Brainstorm & Analysis

    In this step, I will be sketching and drafting more. Trying to get a visual grasp on things like layout, color, imagery, composition and actualizing the design or what it will ultimately be. I will do so by brainstorming, gathering my thoughts to get a rough idea of direction of the design.

  • 04. Preliminary Drafting

    In this step, I will develop at least 3 definitive solutions to the problem. Ideally, each solution will be a different direction, stylization or potentially even deliverable to solve the client’s problem. I will then demo, proof and present the project/design to my client or apply it to its application to see if it is compatible.

  • 05. Feedback

    Here, I gather feedback from the client, outsiders, consumers, users or printers to find opportunities to improve the product. Ideally I’ll absorb some constructive criticism so I can determine if there are any pain-points or find out if the design fell short in any capacity.

  • 06. Refinement

    The final step of the design process is refinement. This involves taking the feedback from the preliminary drafting and elevating it so the design can better suit its purpose. Once this is done, I will re-present, demo or apply the design to make sure it is a good fit. If needed I will repeat steps 05. & 06. twice.