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Step one: capture a complete brief
Start with a short intake that asks only what the designer cannot guess: the message in one sentence, the platform and size, required logo or brand colors, any mandatory text, the deadline and the single person who approves. Worked example: a cafe needs an announcement for a pop-up tonight. The brief reads, event name, 6 p.m. start, address, vertical story and square post, brand green, approver is the owner, due in ninety minutes. With those answers collected up front, the designer avoids the back-and-forth that usually consumes the first half of a rush job.
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Step two: build from fixed starting points
Speed comes from reuse. Keep a small set of templates for each format, along with saved fonts, color values and a folder of approved logos and photos. In the cafe example, the designer opens the story template, drops in the event name and time, swaps in a product photo from the folder and checks that text stays inside the safe margins of the screen. Resist redesigning the layout under pressure. Decide in advance how many variants are included, perhaps one design in two sizes, so the clock is spent on accuracy and legibility rather than endless exploration of styles.
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Step three: review, correct and hand off
Reserve the final stretch for a short quality pass and one revision round. Check spelling, times, addresses, contrast on a phone-sized preview and file dimensions. Send the approver both images with a clear question, such as whether the details are correct, rather than asking for general opinions. In the cafe example, the owner spots a wrong street number, the designer fixes it in minutes, and exports final files with clear names. Close by saving the project as a template so the next rush request begins further along and finishes sooner.