THE DESIGN PROCESS

‘Th e design process’ is a term that covers a set of operations which, when carefully undertaken by the designer, result in a thoroughly considered and well-craft ed design solution that meets the needs of the client. Th e process is not exclusive to interior design and, in one form or another, applies to all fields of design. Design might be seen as a largely linear activity, with a start point (at which the client makes first contact with the designer), and an end point, when the project has been implemented (that is, constructed or built). However, the reality is that within the process many of the individual tasks are interrelated and highly dependent upon one another, so changes to one element of a design solution will oft en require that earlier parts of the process are revisited and revised as appropriate. 

You should try to see the design process as a malleable one where the different tasks are adaptable to the unique nature of each project. Th e design process is not a standard ‘one size fits all’ solution, and you will need to develop your understanding of it so that you can see how it might be used to meet the needs of individual projects that you work on.