Yet music isn’t his only way to stay grounded. When it comes to staying creative under such an overwhelming job, the artist admits it, “can be very hard, especially when you have deadlines looming. Whenever I am in these situations I always like to go for a walk and get away from the screen, even if it’s just for 30 mins. Taking your mind off the project can really help you move forward and get ideas flowing again. I also like to speak to the rest of my team and get their opinions and feedback. It helps to know if you are heading in the right direction, and sometimes they can help to look at the project at a different angle,” the designer says.
Such a level-headed approach to a fast-paced realm aids in client satisfaction as well. For when it comes to customer criticism, the artist states: “When working with clients, I think it's always important that you collaborate with them and take them on the journey with you, right from the very beginning. It helps the client to understand where you are going and also makes them feel a part of the process and decisions that are made. My favorite tip is to always ensure you have a rationale as to why you are doing things, it certainly makes it easier when explaining your designs, and if clients question you about your work," he says. This is crucial in persuading a client to trust an artist's judgment, and for Sage, he admits the task is not always rewarding. For example, “It can be a little disheartening when clients give back harsh criticism, especially when you’ve spent so much time on getting everything pixel perfect, but it’s important to not take the feedback personally. If you feel strongly about something you designed and have good rationale you can always push back at least once, but it is also important to listen to the client and work together to find a solution. This will make it a better result for everyone,” he tells us.
In terms of the process and approach, brainstorming is key. “When approaching a design brief, I always like to be able to think ahead before the day I start concepting. A huge part of designing is actually ‘thinking time’ and this helps massively, especially when it comes to concepting and art direction. I also like to create spider diagrams using key pieces of information from the brief. I then start to write inspirational words or objects that keep branching out. This helps me to have a great starting point for my creative ideas and UI inspiration,” says Sage. As for external inspiration, Sage admits the necessity of staying informed on current design trends. For him, it's a daily one-on-one with design sites that do the trick. "For me, I’m constantly on platforms such as dribble and attending conferences such as awwwards. I also follow a lot of designers on Twitter—it’s great to see other designers and developers sharing their work in progress and reading conversations about design-related topics,” Sage says.