Course · Pipeline & Workflow
Projects that run smoothly
0.1 / What it's about
Good design requires a good process.
Pipeline & Workflow shows how design is produced from the briefing stage through to the finished file: planning phases, organising tasks, arranging files, collaborating as a team, producing for print and screen, and ensuring quality.
As a consistent example throughout all modules, we follow the production process for Gartenglück, a fictitious Zurich-based delivery service for seasonal meals. The round button with the light bulb on the cards reveals three examples in each case: best practice, acceptable, and inadequate.
Key questions of the course:
QUESTION 1
How do I plan a project realistically?
QUESTION 2
How do I keep files and versions under control?
QUESTION 3
How do you properly output data for print and the web?
QUESTION 4
When is a project truly finished?
Course framework:
TARGET AUDIENCE
Creators
Learners in graphic, media, web or UX design with initial project experience.
SCOPE
5 × 90 mins
Plus final project; each module can also be used individually.
Format
Hands-on
Brief input, tools, and practice on your own project.
REFERENCE
Cross-references
0.2 / Learning Objectives
After the course, you will produce with greater confidence.
After the course, you will be able to:
01
Describe project phases and create a schedule
02
Structure and organise tasks, files, and versions
03
Clarify specifications for print and digital data early on and factor them into the workflow (prepress itself delves into layout & prepress)
04
build and hand over a small design system with tokens
05
Check quality and neatly conclude a project
0.3 / Course content
All modules and sections at a glance.
Five modules, each with a core question and a tool. Click on a module or jump straight to a section. You will find prepress, export and sign-off in the Layout & Prepress course.
MODULE 01
How does a design project work?
MODULE 02
How do you keep track of everything?
MODULE 03
Where is the current version?
MODULE 04
How do teams work well together?
MODULE 05
How do you keep design consistent across multiple applications?
0.4 / Procedure per module
Each module follows the same structure.
The rhythm stays the same, the content changes:
01
Introduction (10 mins)
A question or issue from everyday project life.
02
Input (20 mins)
Fundamentals and best practices.
03
Tool (15 mins)
Explore the topic in the interactive tool.
04
Exercise (35 mins)
Application to a project of your own.
05
Reflection (10 mins)
What do you adopt into your workflow?
In each section, you will find a bold key takeaway with a lightning bolt icon, an exercise behind the blue button, a read-aloud function, and examples behind the light bulb on many cards.
0.5 / Certificate of achievement
In the end, you have an end-to-end production from A to Z.
Final project: a full production, individually or in pairs
01
Plan
Phases, timeline, and tasks on one board.
02
Organise
Folder structure, file names and versions.
03
Produce
Print PDFs and digital exports according to specifications, following the procedure from Layout & Prepress.
04
Systematise
Tokens and rules for the applications.
05
Review and complete
Checklist, sign-off, archive and reflection.
Assessment criteria: realistic timeline, tidy file organisation, correct print and digital data, comprehensible system, thorough quality check, and reflection.
0.6 / Literature and Sources
Good processes are modelled on good examples.
• Frost, B. (2016): Atomic Design
• Kholmatova, A. (2017): Design Systems
• Anderson, D. J. (2010): Kanban
• Johansson, K., Lundberg, P. & Ryberg, R. (2003): A Guide to Graphic Print Production
• Ambrose, G. & Harris, P. (2008): The Production Manual
• W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Specifications from the respective print shop regarding colour profile, bleed and PDF standard
Please note: The years indicate the first edition; many titles are available in newer editions and in German.