This is a great graphic to show how a designer tackles a custom project. It is indeed a process, and a process both the client and the designer must trust. It is easy to sometimes want to jump around on a project (or get ahead of yourself to the more fun finish selections!) but sticking to the tried and true process allows a project to be completed with less stress and more accuracy of the true design intent. Each project is different and there is defiantly flexibility in any project. The one thing you can count on in design is that something unexpected will come up. And, for a designer, t hat is the fun part! Finding unique solutions that often create a better outcome in the end. This is just a great outline and peak inside a designers process.