In the often complex landscape of graphic design project management, the Kanban method stands out as a dynamic and visual approach that has transformed workflows across many industries.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the history of the Kanban framework, explore its benefits for graphic design projects, and provide actionable tips on integrating this powerful productivity system into your creative process.

Whether you're a seasoned graphic designer looking for some new ways of working, or someone completely new to the design industry, I’m sure you’ll find a benefit from working with the Kanban framework.

The History of Kanban: From Manufacturing to Project Management

Originating in Toyota's manufacturing process in the 1940s, Kanban was first introduced by Taiichi Ohno, an engineer and businessman, as a method to optimize production efficiency.

The term "Kanban" translates from Japanese to "visual signal”, reflecting its emphasis on visualizing work, workflows, and project statuses.

Over the years, Kanban has transcended its manufacturing roots and found applications in diverse sectors, including software development, and notably, graphic design. It’s become the go-to tool for project management, with a key benefit being the visual clarity that it provides.

Benefits of Kanban for Graphic Design Projects

Now that we know a little about the unique origins of the Kanban productivity framework, we’re going to look into the benefits that it can provide.

As freelancers, we often have to juggle multiple projects at once. But without a clear system for tracking the progress of each, it can be all too easy to lose track of what’s going on. Oftentimes, this leads to a chaotic approach to work, leaving you confused and on the verge of burnout.

So, how does Kanban help with this?

Visual Clarity

Kanban boards provide a visual representation of tasks and their status. For graphic designers, this visual clarity enhances project understanding, allowing you to see, at a glance, the status of multiple projects at once. If you’ve ever found yourself working on multiple projects, you know how important this is!

To see more about design project management, this guide is a great place to start!

Enhanced Collaboration

Kanban encourages team collaboration by making work visible to all team members. This transparency promotes effective communication and ensures everyone is on the same page throughout the design process.

When you work on a freelance basis, very often you’ll be working in conjunction with a team of other people who are all contributing to a project. Kanban systems allow everyone involved to see the status of a project, saving a lot of back and forth to figure things out.

Efficient Task Management

Breaking down graphic design tasks into manageable units on a Kanban board simplifies task management. Designers can easily track progress, identify bottlenecks, and maintain a steady flow of work.

How to Implement Kanban for Graphic Design Projects

A Kanban board is essentially three columns with the title Not Started, In Progress, and Done. Projects are then filtered between these three columns as and when they develop. This allows everyone an at-a-glance look at the status of each project within.

It should be noted that you don’t need to specifically use those headings, and you don’t need to only have three columns. Really, you can have as many as you need. For example, I use one for the articles I publish, and the columns include Idea, Planning, Outlined, Writing, Proofreading, and Published.

As each project is different, you’re able to customise the Kanban system to your individual needs. The three headings shown above are the simplest examples of how it works. Here’s how you can set one up for yourself:

Create a Visual Board

Start by setting up a visual Kanban board. This will be where your projects will be organised, and act as a central hub for your work.

For this, you can use physical boards, whiteboards, or digital tools like Trello, Asana, or Kanbanize. Whatever you decide to use, the important thing is that you’re able to change text and move projects along the board as they progress.

Define Workflow Stages

As mentioned above, you don’t need to stick with the rigid three-column approach. With Kanbans, you have the freedom to create any number of workflow stages to devise a system that works for you.

Here you should clearly define stages in your graphic design workflow, such as Ideation, Design, Review, Finalization, etc. Each stage represents a column on your Kanban board, and a status of the projects shown within.

Limit Work in Progress (WIP)

To avoid overloading yourself with work, set limits on the number of tasks allowed in each workflow stage. This ensures a steady flow of work without overwhelming yourself.

For mine, I try to stick to a maximum of three projects in each section. Whilst this can be difficult to maintain when there are many approval levels and people involved in each project, trying as best you can to stick to a limit will stop you from burning out and feeling buried with work.

Visualize Projects with Cards

With each of the systems mentioned in this guide, you can customise the information shown on each project, or card, as they’re often known.

The above is a mocked-up example of the information I include in my own Kanban system. I like to include the title of the project, the client it relates to (my Kanban is built with Notion, so these link to client hubs), a little note about the project, and then a cover image that represents the project.

You don’t need to stick to this, but I find that it’s all the information that’s needed for an at-a-glance look at project statuses.

Monitor and Adjust

When you build a Kanban board for the first time, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get it perfect right away. The good news is that these boards aren’t set in stone.

If you’re finding that there needs to be another stage between Proofread and Publish, for example, you can add that right in, and make it a part of your workflow.

This is what makes Kanban so powerful. It gives an overview of everything going on, whilst also being agile enough to handle changes to the whole system.

Tools for Kanban in Graphic Design

To make a physical Kanban board, all you need is a whiteboard (or blank space on a wall) and some sticky notes. I’ve found that the digital way is the best option for Kanban systems, as this allows for quick edits of many projects at once, without needing to physically move a bunch of slips of paper around.

So, if you’re like me, here are some great tools to help you get up and running with the Kanban system:

Trello: A user-friendly digital Kanban tool, Trello allows designers to create boards, lists, and cards to manage and visualize tasks effortlessly.
Asana: Asana's Kanban view is a powerful feature for graphic designers, providing a flexible and visual way to organize and manage projects.
Kanbanize: A specialized Kanban tool, Kanbanize offers advanced features for detailed project tracking, analytics, and workflow customization.
Notion: Notion is a very powerful productivity, tasks, and notes tool. It’s the system that I use for everything in my productivity workflow, including Kanbans.

Conclusion

The Kanban method has proven its effectiveness in optimizing workflows and enhancing collaboration, making it an invaluable tool for graphic designers.

By making use of this rigid yet agile framework, freelancers can take back control of the projects they’re working on. Kanban systems allow you to get an at-a-glance look at everything going on, and help to prioritise what you need to work on next!

Now if you want to see other ways of being more productive as a graphic designer, you can’t go wrong with single tasking and the Pomodoro Technique!

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