The design process (and particularly early stage design processes) can be viewed as a double diamond.

Creativity is not always easy or straightforward which is why organisations commission freelancers and creative agencies to do it for them! Don't worry, you can fast-track this process if you have the right mindset and the right ingredients. We'll talk you though the process step by step to help you deliver a better brand, faster!

Discover...

At the start of the process you are looking to discover all the possibilities of the project, all the unknowns, all the outcomes that might lead to success. Keep your mind open and the funnel widens as you undertake divergent thinking. This is often a scary place to be for most, particularly if being creative is not part of your daily routine, so bare with us on this as it's gets easier. It scares us too...but it's also one of the most exciting phases!



Define...

Once you've assessed all the needs and opportunities, it's time to list these out so they can all be discussed and refined. Depending on your team size and importance of the task this could take a day to a couple of months, so weigh up your time and resources carefully and set deadlines to work within. This is all about convergent thinking as you take all those findings and refine them down to your "value proposition" or your gift to your chosen customer segments. Remember, too many messages confuse matters, so keep it simple!

Develop...

This is normally when you hand over to the creatives in your team, your trusty freelancer or your amazing agency. We open up the opportunities again with divergent thinking as your Value Proposition is transformed into multiple ideas and concepts to take forward and bring them to life. This is the fun creative bit, the time when all the hard work pays off and it starts to come to life! Some customers like to get hands on and some like to sit back and watch the magic happen, so think about your role.

Deliver....

As with any project, tough decisions need to be made. Just as difficult as the Discovery Phase whereby your opportunities were widened, it's now time to make some choices and deliver the final design specifications. Your organisation is likely to be your "baby" so it's important to get things right, but remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. As Steve Jobs of Apple said, "Real artists ship"...which means, get it out in the world and iterate.

If you did the hard work, have talented creatives working with you and you see this as the start, not the end of the process...you'll be on to a winner!

Key Takeaways

The Design Process is not straight forward, so roll with the punches, be open to ideas and stay flexible.

• Are you working this way?
• How will you adapt to this process?
• How can you stay playful when it comes to creativity?
• How do you keep everyone on point?