The design process

The seven step design process is used by graphic designers and photographers to manage their time and to interpret and create a design brief and solution. Following each stage of the design process will ensure you create the best possible result for your client.

Firstly, the design brief needs to be defined. A precise understanding of the brief and it's constraints allows more exact solutions to be developed. This stage determines what is necessary for the project to be successful.

The research stage reviews information such as the history of the design problem, inspirational previous solutions, client and target audience research and identifies potential obstacles.

Ideate is the stage where the clients motivations and needs are identified and ideas are generated to meet these constraints through brainstorming and sketching.

Prototyping sees the resolve or creation of ideas, which are presented to target audience groups and stakeholder review prior to being presented to the client.

Selection sees the proposed solutions reviewed against the design brief objective. Some solutions might be practical but may not be the best ones.

Implementation sees design development and it's final delivery to the client.

Learning helps designers improve their performance and, for this reason, designers should always seek client and target audience feedback and determine if the solution met the goals and constraints of the brief. This may identify improvements that can be made in the future.