Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (2024)

Whether it’s designing posters, banner ads or producing graphics and illustrations, each organization’s design process may not look the same.

Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (1)

Your favorite magazine, a billboard and all those digital thank you cards and wedding announcements.

Every one of the products your customers engage with or use every day has gone through a systematic design process to improve their experience.

Good design means customers don’t have to think about “the hows” of interacting with what you’ve created, and that your messaging and visual identity powerfully come together.

But as the ways in which customers interact with brands evolve, so to do design processes. Here’s a walkthrough of five approaches to design, and their pros and cons.

The basics: Traditional design process

The traditional method of design involves seven stages executed in linear sequence:

  1. Study: Your team determines what problem to solve.
  2. Research: Involves a deep dive into the mechanics of the problem.
  3. Brainstorm: Throws out solutions to the problem in rapid fire, and no potential solution is off the table.
  4. Sketch: Your team transforms ideas into visuals.
  5. Concept: Your team solidifies ideas and fully outlines concepts.
  6. Revisions: Your team recalibrates based on a focus group or user feedback.
  7. Conclusion: Key stakeholders approve and sign off on the project.

Pros: A linear approach means the design process is straightforward. Plus, the documentation created during the process usually gives your team more insight to improve future projects.

Cons: Because of its linear structure, the time from ideation to execution and beyond can take so long that your company might not be nimble enough to react quickly to changes in the marketplace. Trying to adhere to rigid timelines also can lead to project delays. The process also can be so siloed that teams who should be collaborating work too independently of each other.

Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (2)

One of the most popular practices among creatives and designers, Mood boarding stems from the process of ideation. Mood boards are found in both physical and digital forms, filled with images, text, visual references, and textures to help visualize ideas and concepts in a “storylike” perspective. They are meant to transfer the right mood and bring the emotions expected from a product, and also one of the most effective ways to collaborate and share ideas. One of the quickest and easiest ways to create your own mood board is by collaging in Photoshop.

Pros: A visual approach is likely the fastest, most client-efficient way to showcase design concepts. Mood boards not only save time but allow a more seamless flow of communication between your team and clients.

Cons: Unlike other more robust processes, mood boards don’t show the detailed timeline of an end project. If your boss or client is looking for more research or data, the visual approach might not be the most effective process for detailed-oriented projects.

The old school: Double Diamond Model

Developed by the UK Design Council, this design approach is called the Double Diamond because of the process’s shape: it looks like two diamonds attached at one node, or intersecting point. The cinches of the diamond, or sharp edges, represent diverging and converging aspects of the design development process.

Beginning with a problem, the four stages in the Double Diamond model first involve a diverging discover/research phase, where participants dive deep into exploring all aspects of the problem. From here, the group converges to a define or synthesis stage, where members agree about where to concentrate their efforts. The third stage diverges yet again to ideate potential design solutions, before finally converging to a point where the team delivers the final solution during the implementation stage.

Pros: This structure leaves plenty of room for diverse ideas. This allows cross-functional teams to work together, which leads to more transparency.

Cons: Since there are so many points of divergence, it might be easy to get lost in the rabbit hole of research. It takes discipline to corral teams and to manage their time effectively.

Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (3)

The future-centric: User-centered design

User-centered design is an intensely customer-centric approach. This approach integrates customer needs into practically every stage of the design process. Much like the other design processes, user-centered design involves four distinct phases — understand the context, specify user requirements, ideate, and test. However, it leans on extensive user surveys up front to develop a clearer picture of the needs that design should address. User-centered design holds users much closer to the design process, frequently leaning on them and a variety of other stakeholders for input. The UX design process is now easier than ever with Photoshop and Adobe XD seamless integration. You can easily create a wireframe to map your process and share with your team and clients.

Pros: The customer-centric approach means a greater chance for easy adoption. Since context is an important part of this design process, you can consider a wide variety of use cases, increasing the likelihood that what you create engages a larger audience.

Cons: Balancing input from multiple stakeholders is a challenge. There’s also the temptation to increase a project’s scope, which can lead to delays. But sandboxing, a process where you clearly define a project’s requirements can help.

The “seasoned”: Design sprint

Although not strictly like its agile sprint cousin in the coding world, a design sprint puts your team through a five-day intense design challenge to address a small aspect of an overall problem, whether it’s launching a new logo or deciding on the visual direction for a big-budget ad campaign. Your team goes through five distinct phases — map, ideation, decide, prototype, and test — and tackle each phase during one of the five days. Slightly longer, or even more intense sprints, are an emerging trend among design teams.

Pros: This approach addresses one of the biggest challenges in the design process — time. Since your team can collaborate for a specific period, you’re much more disciplined in working toward a final outcome.

Cons: The fast-paced nature of the process might not leave enough room for all promising ideas to get enough air time.

Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (4)

The philosophical: Design thinking

The design thinking process essentially looks like a marriage between user-centered design and the Double Diamond approach. Popularized by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, also known as the d.school, this iterative approach has gained more traction even if its broad parameters are somewhat loose. Before the usual define, ideate, prototype, and test phases, this method first includes an “empathize” phase so you can shadow customers and understand their needs before hitting the ground running.

Pros: Breaks down silos in companies and facilitates idea exchanges from new avenues. The model is flexible enough to adapt to almost any idea.

Cons: Since the process is loosely defined, it’s easy to get lost along the way without clear outlines or goalposts early on.

Which design process is right for you?

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about the design process your organization should use. But as the platforms in which brands engage consumers to continue to change, it’s important to be nimble. Regardless of how design processes evolve, you should stick to one important premise when it comes to design — the needs of your audience always come first.

We want to hear from! Share your favorite design process or tell us about your own design workflow @creativecloud #Adobedesign.

Design Thinking to Mood Boarding: 6 Commonly Used Design Processes to Try On Your Next Project (2024)

FAQs

What is the moodboard design process? ›

Mood boards are used early in the design process of a new product or when substantially revising an existing product. For example, they might be created during the Define or Ideate phases in the design-thinking cycle. They help gather consensus on the style of the visuals before designers begin working on prototypes.

What is a mood board in design and technology? ›

Mood boards are physical or digital collages that arrange images, materials, text, and other design elements into a format that's representative of the final design's style.

What is a mood board for set design? ›

Moodboards can help you visualize any aspect of your film. You might want to focus on how the lighting or color could look. Or they could be centred around the set designs or the costumes you want to use. You can create a moodboard for each of these separately or mix them all into one board.

What is an example of a mood board? ›

In short, a mood board is a collection of content to translate an idea or thought visually. A mood board sets a specific tone for anything. Whether you're building a new product, a campaign, or a brand, a mood board can communicate ideas using shared design references.

What should a mood board include? ›

A mood board typically includes a combination of images, texts, photographs, and textures to explore and present an idea in a way that words alone cannot. However, these design elements are not standalone features on a board. Instead, these components combine to tell a cohesive story about a vision.

What is mood boarding? ›

A mood board (or inspiration board) is a physical or digital collage of ideas that's commonly used in fields like interior design, fashion, and graphic design.

What are the two types of mood board? ›

There are two types of ad mood boards: digital or physical. It's completely up to you and your working style to choose the one that best fits your marketing campaigns.

Why you should create a mood board? ›

Creating mood boards allows you to collect thoughts, ideas, color schemes, and moods in one place and define a coherent design concept without the risk of losing sight of the bigger picture. Visual concepts are a constant source of inspiration and huge motivators that make you feel empowered.

What is a model mood board? ›

A mood board is a collection of images that will set the tone for your upcoming photo shoot. This can include photos, swatches, patterns –– images that will convey what the tone of the shoot will be.

What is the difference between mood board and design board? ›

The mood board will be a great guide to work alongside in this stage, to help you stay focused on your goal for the space. While the design board will help you see how the actual items are fitting together visually.

What are the three steps in creating a moodboard? ›

Three steps to creating the ULTIMATE moodboard
  1. DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE. There are a few different ways to arrange your thoughts and visualise what you like. ...
  2. SELECT YOUR LAYOUT. ...
  3. EDIT AND REFINE.

What is mood board interior design with explanation? ›

A mood board is a collection of images, materials, and other design elements that represent the look, feel, and emotion you want for your home or office. It can be a great way to get inspired and start putting together the design elements you'll need to achieve the look you're going for.

What is the principle of mood board? ›

A mood board is a visual presentation technique used by interior designers to showcase a curated collection of materials, finishes, and design elements. It involves arranging these items on a flat surface to create a cohesive and visually appealing composition.

Why does an interior designer start the design process with a mood board? ›

By creating a mood board before starting any project, you can help your clients visualize the end result and ensure everyone involved is on the same page. In addition, a mood board can help you stay on track with your design goals and save time when choosing materials and furnishings.

What is a mood board why it is made? ›

A mood board is a type of visual presentation or 'collage' consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. It can be based on a set topic or can be any material chosen at random. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic.

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