Design Process

Author: Hand-Heart Design Firm editorial team | Published: 2026-08-28 | Last updated: 2026-10-10

The process is not there to look professional. It is there so that you get the chance to say “hold on, this direction is wrong” before you spend a lot of money.

What stages does the Hand-Heart design process have?

1. Discovery interview and free consultation

   First we work out exactly what problem needs solving. Many partners come to us saying “I want a new logo”, and by the end of the conversation the real problem turns out to be “our branches don’t look like the same company”. If the problem is defined wrongly, everything after it is wasted.

   What you prepare Your brand as it stands, the problem you are facing, the expected schedule and budget range

   What we deliver A record of the clarified requirements, an initial scope recommendation, a quotation
2. Information gathering and research analysis

   We take stock of the existing brand assets, survey the target audience and analyse competitors. Public-sector and large-company projects also include internal interviews and an all-staff questionnaire. Ask only the managers and you get “how it ought to look”; ask the front line and you get “how it actually looks”.

   What you prepare Existing material, an internal point of contact, a list of people available for interview

   What we deliver A research report, a competitor analysis, an inventory of the problems
3. Strategy development and concept proposal

   From the research findings we define the core value and the design direction, usually presenting two or three directions for you to choose from. This stage is about direction, not detail: shades of colour, or whether the type should be a little larger or smaller, all wait until the next stage.

   What you prepare The decision-makers attend the proposal meeting

   What we deliver A strategy briefing, concept direction proposals, confirmation of the direction
4. Design development and refinement

   Following the approved direction, we complete the core design and extend it across the application system. This stage includes one full round of revisions. Revision is part of the process, not an extra request.

   What you prepare Feedback gathered into one round, rather than piecemeal changes

   What we deliver The final design, the application system, the revised version
5. Validation and final artwork

   Different services validate different things: packaging needs a physical blank mock-up tested for load and drop, wayfinding needs a 1:1 mock-up on site to confirm the reading distance, and an identity has to be checked at sizes as small as a favicon to see whether it is still legible. What works on the drawing does not necessarily work once it is made.

   What you prepare Confirming specifications and quantities, taking part in the on-site validation

   What we deliver Prototypes or full-size mock-ups, validation records, final artwork files
6. Handover, rollout and site supervision

   Handing over the files is only the minimum. A complete handover also includes the guidelines, training for the people who will carry it out, and on-site supervision of printing or construction. A project done well has to survive a change of project contact. That is why the guidelines and the training exist.

   What you prepare Naming the unit responsible for ongoing maintenance

   What we deliver The complete files, the guidelines, the training briefing, site supervision and acceptance

What does each stage look like in a real project?

The six stages above are the general rule; the gates each project actually passes through are not exactly the same. Below are examples for five of the stages, taken from our published work, to show what each looks like in a real project:

• Research and analysis | Tintin Drugstore brand identity: Before anyone drew a logo, we interviewed people at every level: decision-makers, department heads and front-line pharmacists. A “visual cross analysis” then mapped where pharmacy and drugstore brands sit in colour, typeface and form. Only after that did we propose three identity directions: “Professional and clear”, “Friendly and warm” and “Healthy and energetic”.
• Strategy and concept | Legislative Yuan 2024 New Year card: The first proposal put forward four directions, each planned together with a card format (side-fold, top-fold or a single flat card). What both sides confirmed first was the direction “Great Fortune in the Year of the Dragon”; details such as the dragon’s claws and the greeting were adjusted only in the next step.
• Design development | Tai He Shang agarwood packaging: Once the direction was set as “minimal contemporary patterns expressed in calligraphic brushstrokes”, the development stage moved to freer ink-wash strokes, with a short note on the brushwork written for each of the four incenses. The layout of a colour block at the top and a white label below was kept, and the project went through refined drafts and final artwork to completion.
• Validation and final artwork | Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Year of the Dragon commemorative edition: Once the form of the dragon was settled, the refined-draft stage offered combinations of finishes, such as gold foil, black foil and embossing, to choose from. The dragon is printed in black, gold and orange-red on the clear kaoliang bottle, so it can still be seen through the glass from the back, and the outer box extends the dragon on the bottle into its key visual.
• Handover and rollout | 12th Oasis brand identity: The logo was narrowed down from 14 black-and-white sketches to three first drafts. Once it was finalised, Hand-Heart compiled the colour scheme, the basic design elements and supporting graphics, the logo’s minimum size and the rules for floral display boards into a brand guidelines manual, with black, white and colour versions of every logo combination.

Who signs off at each stage, and what a change costs

The table above covers “what you give, what we deliver”. This one covers the other half: who confirms at each gate, what it costs to go back and change something after that confirmation, and when a gate can be skipped. When a project drags, it is usually not because the design is slow. It is because the person who confirms is not in the room, or because a change was not made at the cheap stage and only came up at the expensive one.

Three principles run through the whole table. The direction is confirmed by the decision-maker in person: a direction confirmed by a delegate is usually overturned during development. Revisions come in one round: piecemeal changes leave every version incomplete. The later the change, the higher the cost, which is why at every gate we spell out what it will cost to change something later if it is not changed now.

How does the process differ between services?

The six stages are the skeleton; the actual number of stages is adjusted to the nature of the project. The difference comes mainly from whether physical validation is needed and whether the work goes on site:

Why confirm stage by stage instead of doing it all at once?

When is this design process a good fit?

Hand-Heart can take on selected stages, and the work can begin before all the materials are in.

• If another party has already completed the research and strategy, you can commission Hand-Heart for the stages from design development onwards.
• If your materials are not complete yet, start by agreeing on two things: the problem to be solved and who has the final say.
• If you are handling a public-sector project, it helps to arrange for the decision-maker to confirm the direction in person at the strategy and concept stage.

What do you need to prepare before starting?

You do not need everything in place to start. Give us as much of the following four items as you have; Hand-Heart can work through the gaps with you during the research stage:

• Your brand as it stands, and the problem: what the situation is now and what you hope to solve. This one matters most; the rest can follow later.
• Existing visual assets: the current logo, standard colours, typefaces, existing guidelines and branded materials.
• Use and specifications: the deliverables you expect, quantities, sizes, and the channels you will publish through.
• Schedule and decision process: when you would like it finished, and who has the final say. A decision-maker who misses the proposal meeting is the most common reason a project goes back and forth.

Frequently asked questions