One issue I face personally is how can I, as a designer, effectively explain my work to potential clients or people that do not have a creative side. I know how to explain what software or process was used but what is a way that a designer can explain the mind-set to someone that has no clue? I've thought about implementing a bullet list when I'm going through the project and jotting down key phrases, similar to how some people come up with a logo design. Is there a study or metric that can be used to say x, y and z should be included, like:
- Color
- form factor
- target audience
The closest solution I've found via Google was an article by Design Tuts titled "Preparing and Talking About Your Graphic Design Portfolio"
It's not easy
The art of talking about your work is not something that comes naturally to designers – I know I didn’t find it easy in the beginning. But it's a good skill to learn, and learn as early as you can. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes and look upon each meeting as an opportunity to develop this skill. Not only will this make it easier to talk about your portfolio, it will also make you better at presenting concepts and design work, both to your colleagues and to clients.
The simple rule here is engagement. Your aim should be to arouse interest in your work, not give a speech or lecture. Remember, showing your portfolio to people is also about them, not just you.
When you come to each project, talk about it briefly to introduce it but don’t talk at length. See how they react, let them ask questions or let them simply look. If they are looking at you rather than the work, talk some more about the project – tell them what interested you about it. Look for signs that it's time to move on to the next project.
To help you get used to talking about your work, try it on other people whenever you get a chance. If they are non-designers it will help even more, as you will practice not using designer lingo to describe each project.
So my question is how can a creative designer explain a portfolio project to a non creative person?