Design can be defined to conceive the idea for some artifact or system and/or to express the idea in a form. It would also mean reaching the goals within constraints. Here, the goals consist of the purpose like who is the design for? What is the use of the design etc. The constraints on the other hand are the materials and the platforms to be used. Overall it is a very challenging job to create a design that is aesthetic, creative and innovative at the same time.
Before getting to know the problem and understanding the task, if one simply jumps into it, the only outcome is going to be a disaster. We will not have to look far before we come at a dead end. Proper research and planning is very important before starting a project, however big or small it may seem. The question that might arise here is that how much time should be devoted to this particular stage and the answer to that would be, in a proportional manner.
The design process in a nutshell and a very basic form may constitute of the following stages. These stages may overlap or may be treated as separate units. The designer only has the prerogative for deciding on these matters.
If the designer is gifted with artistic talent and creativity then obviously the outcome is highly enhanced. Every individual has his own methodology for approaching the problem but even then a designer or a group of designers develop a specific format which assist them in making their task much simpler. This method can then be worked upon in order to develop and improve it for the best of purposes. Irrespective of the stages in the design process there are certain factors which have to be dealt with before starting the works. Some of these may be:
* Identify the target market - The market that a firm is catering to is segregated on the basis of gender, age, social and economic segment. Here the market is a group of people or the consumers. Each market segment is going to have different requirements and expectations from a design and all of these have to be satisfied by the designer, in order to make it a success.
* Maintaining an Identity for the brand - Every company has a specific look and caters to a particular clientele. The price ranges are also fixed since generally they cater to a specific target market. All this has to remain more or less constant so that the company has a proper brand identity.
