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< Responding to briefs The design process Market research >

Need Research Brief Concept and

research Development Present

Identify the need

This initial stage defi nes why a design project is needed and what the goals are in undertaking it. The more clearly defi ned the needs and aims of the project are, the simpler it will be to write and agree a brief for the designer to work to.

Design process steps

Initial research

Research aims to acquire a greater understanding of the overall design problem; it is not intended to generate a solution but rather to gather as much useful information about the product, market and target consumer as is possible in order to construct a fi rm basis upon which to make informed decisions.

Writing a brief

The design team and client need to agree a brief that specifi es what the design problem is, what its aims are and what the expected outcome will be, as well as what will be delivered and when. The clearer the brief the better, as both parties will refer back to it throughout the design process.

Brainstorming

The design team will generate ideas and concepts. All ideas can be entertained at this stage from the obvious to the more obscure or extrovert. As the focus is on idea generation, this stage encourages the voicing of all ideas, and various techniques exist to facilitate this.

Early design

The concept generation stage will produce various possible solutions to the design problem. The early design stage sees the best of these further developed and worked up to see how successful they are at solving the design problem.

Selection

A designer will typically present, on average, three design concepts for a client to choose from; one of which will be fully worked up as the design solution. The concepts may be variations upon a common theme or include options that are conservative, adventurous and avant garde in turn.

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Basic tenets of the design process

The design process requires a high degree of creativity in a way that is controlled, directed and channelled towards producing a viable, practical solution to the design problem so that it meets or exceeds the stated aims of the design brief. While creativity in design is important, design is an activity that serves economic as well as creative goals. The design process should therefore help to ensure that a design satisfi es such considerations by remaining focused on the aims and objectives of the client. The process provides a series of decision stages that will require formal approval by both designer and client, and which will protect both parties in the event of any later disagreements.

At any point of the design process it may be necessary to return to an earlier stage and rework the original design concept; designers should therefore be prepared to review and amend the design scheme if necessary. Not all jobs need to go through all stages of the design process, however; a redesign that uses existing packaging, for example, will not require the same level of prototyping.

Stages of the design process

The design process starts by defi ning the design problem and the target audience. A clear understanding of the problem and its constraints allows more exact solutions to be generated in order for the project to be successful. The research stage then reviews and/or generates

information, including the history of the design problem, end-user research and opinion-led interviews, and identifi es potential obstacles. Together, these two stages produce the design brief that instructs a designer and provides the parameters of the design project.

The concept and idea generation stage is where end-user motivations and needs are identifi ed and ideas generated to meet them. The best ideas are developed into a resolve or prototype that can be used for user-group and stakeholder review prior to the design concept being presented to the client. The selection stage involves reviewing the proposed solutions against the design brief and the client then choosing the best idea. The chosen design will be further developed for fi nal delivery, and then produced. Feedback from the client and consumers at the project’s end provides a valuable learning tool for designers to gauge their performance by.

Feedback Review Development Produce Deliver Access

People’s thoughts

People often have a strong initial reaction to a design concept. However, it is important to allow time for ideas to stand for a while. Making the fi nal selection the day after the presentation of the candidate designs allows people to wear an ‘idea’ to see if it really sticks. It should not be surprising if the preferred option changes after this period of refl ection.

Review feedback

Client feedback on the design concepts provides a yardstick with which to assess how well the design team is meeting the criteria of the design brief, how well it answers the design problem set by the brief, and whether there are obvious shortcomings or successes in the design routes that are being advanced.

Finding a voice

A design will need to fi nd its own voice and style as it is developed. This might involve the use of photography, illustration and typography, for example, in order to speak to the target audience in a particular way. This vernacular or graphic language is the accent of the design.

Making it real

Once the design concept is fi nished, there are still many decisions to be made before it can be produced. Design detailing needs to be considered, such as how the design is going to be produced and printed; for instance, will it require the use of special printing techniques or stocks?

Prototyping

A prototype of the design may be made that can be used for market research with the target market. This feedback may generate suggestions that result in the design being tweaked or radically redesigned. Once defi nitively agreed, a design will be commercially produced and then delivered to wherever it is to be distributed.

Success?

Once a design has been implemented, its success in meeting the aims established in the design brief can be reviewed, and market research can help to identify this. An obvious indicator is whether client product sales have risen or fallen. If a design is not successful, the reasons for this need to be identifi ed so that future efforts can be.

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< Responding to briefs The design process Market research >

Kings

Creative Orchestra designed the packaging shown here for the men’s toiletry brand Kings, which was created for sale in the UK retail pharmacy Boots. The newly extended range was created to appeal to users in their late teens and twenties. The designs feature cut-up graphics and typography that give an energy and immediacy to the everyday products.

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‘People don’t want products and services. They want solutions to

problems. That’s value. And when it comes to solutions, simple is

better. Elegant is better still.’

Matthew E May

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The aims of market research