Let's say you've been "chosen" to come up with a Poster idea for a group you volunteer for. Everyone wants to give input but they don't want to actually do the job of pulling the project together. And this is a challenge for you.

So why don't you approach the problem the way the pros do?

Pros prepare what's called a Design or Creative Brief where they pose and answer questions about the project in order to come up with a set of guidelines that describe the idea and creative direction, a road map, if you will.

Start with a couple of basic questions:

• Who are you targeting with your poster? You'll use different language and visuals if you are targeting teenagers rather than seniors.
• What do you want people to do when they see your piece? You'd be surprised how often the obvious is missed. Contact information is critical. How can you expect people to call if you leave off the phone number? If you include a website make sure you have a way to capture email addresses.

Once you get your audience and purpose straight in your mind you can then choose the colors, text and photos that compliment your concept.

Design, just like a road trip, is a lot more fun and a lot less challenging when you have a road map.