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The Design Process Explained

The design process is a linear journey between initial enquiry to production. It is not set in stone, but there is often a common pattern that enables us to structure the progress and production of the job.

To simplify this we can break this down into eight clear stages:

1. Brief

Essential to any design job is a clear, informative brief;-

• Background information about your business
• What do you want the design to do?
• What do you want the design to communicate?
• Who are you aiming at?
• How do you want to position your business?
• Look and feel of the design?
• Who are your competitors?
• What is the budget available for the project?
• What is the time available for the project?

We don't need all of the answers, but it is important that we know what we are trying to achieve with the design work.

This is where the flexibility is the greatest as no design work has actually been undertaken, and the designer is able to analyse the information and suggest various courses of action.

When designing websites, it is better if the client has already assembled the content (text and pictures) for the website, as this often will provide a good head start in formulating the brief.

Note: It is important to get it right at this stage, with accurate information and a clear direction, rather than having to backtrack later on - this adds extra work and increases costs.
 

2. Visuals

With all types of design work (print, web, packaging, signage etc.) some form of visual representation is produced to indicate an impression of how the design will look. This often comes in the form of inkjet visuals, a 3D mock-up or as an electronic representation (for websites) to be viewed on screen.

From the visual you will see how I have interpreted your brief, and the look and feel of the presentation. This is an essential stage in the design process which allows me to illustrate the concept before I commit studio time to the full extent of the work.

The visual stage is especially important with websites, as they are built from scratch based on the design and layout of the visual. Changes made at later stages of development by a client may prove difficult and costly, and even in some cases, impossible to apply.

3. Development

Once visuals are agreed, the next stage is development. Using the content (text and images) that you have provided, I can now develop the job as artwork, and expand the visual into the final polished brochure, sign or website etc.

This is where the main bulk of the estimated project time is used, and also where you will benefit from the initial effort invested at the briefing stage, by making the development phase cost-effective and within the agreed budget.

For websites the development stage may be further broken down into smaller stages to make them more manageable, as web site development can take up 80% of the allowed time for the overall job.

4. Proofing

Once the development stage is complete, and I am happy with the artwork or website, I will carefully go through the job checking for any obvious errors or mistakes, before presenting the design to you for proof reading.

This is similar to the visual stage, as you are again supplied with electronic or inkjet proofs of the actual artwork. In the case of websites, you are able to go through the site on your own computer to proof read and test any functionality for yourself.

At this point you can check that you are happy with the final design and also to make any corrections as you see fit.

5. Amendments

I always make an allowance in the design process for one set of amendments to cover any typographical errors that may arise during the development process.This also covers minor corrections and grammatical changes in any supplied content that may have previously overlooked.

However, sometimes circumstances arise when corrections are made that cannot be planned for, like an additional section or article that may add further work. These are generally called authors corrections and are usually charged at the normal hourly rate, as are each additional set of amendments and proofs.

6. Final Artwork

After I have provided a final set of proofs, you will be required to 'sign off' on the proofs to finally approve the work done. This can be in the form of a physical signature and date on the proof, or in the form of an email confirming your approval and your consent to send the artwork for production.

The final artwork is prepared to the specification of the selected printer, sign writer or newspaper, and then forwarded in the desired format for production. This final stage is essential to ensure smooth production or web delivery, and a copy of these files will also be sent to you on CD Rom for future reference.

Note: This does not apply to most websites, as the site files viewed in situ are the actual files viewed by the users when visiting your web site.

7. Production

The work now is out of the hands of Infiniti Mixed Media and produced in the desired medium.

In large print or merchandising jobs, a production proof or sample may also be supplied for you to 'sign off' for the suppliers own records.

In the case of websites however, the production process is substituted with uploading, configuring, search engine submission and testing online.

8. Delivery

As it sounds, delivery is the end of the design process. For printed material, signage and merchandise this means a physical delivery of goods, and for websites it is ultimately the launch phase where the finished site is made available to the public.