Why is it important for a designer to think of as many solutions to a design problem?

Answer 1

As one of my instructors in college used to say, you have to "explore the possibilities." You want to make sure you come up with the most effective solution.

Answer 2

The first solution, even though it may solve the "problem," may not be the BEST solution. What's the point of being an artist if one does not strive to be the best? A pro who does NOT think this way is doomed to lose business to a competitor.

For the past few years, I have gone from 100% traditional media, to, nearly, 100% digital. EVERY project I take on begins with, often, dozens of thumbnail sketches of possible layouts, directions, and solutions. These sketches get narrowed down, refined and polished, sometimes to be re-explored, later in the process. At some point, I am looking at one or two solutions, before I, finally, begin the computer work. These sketches help me figure out proportions and help me when it comes time to scale graphics and text sizes.

The extra hour or so, I spend on sketches, can save me many, many hours of design time on the computer.