Process Book
“Nearly any person can learn to improve his or her creative abilities. Talent may be a mysterious entity, yet the creative process tends to follow predictable pathways. By breaking down this process into steps and implementing conscious methods of thinking and doing, designers can open their minds to vibrant solutions that satisfy clients, users, and themselves.”
— Ellen Lupton
What is a Process Book?
A tool designers often use as part of the design process is a process log (book). This is a printed artifact that documents the backstory of a project. Essentially, a process log is a compiled guide that helps the designer get an overview of his or her project while at the same time allowing a viewer to see the progression of a project from beginning to end.
A good process log includes all the stages of the design process from preliminary research through thumbnails, sketches, wire frames, comps, and final designs. It also explains the process through an incorporated narrative. Carefully chosen words and images demonstrate the thinking and development that led to your final design.
Process log are often used to demonstrate to clients the research and development of a final product, which aids in the understanding of the costs and time investments in the process. Your process log should tell a coherent story through descriptions and pictures from beginning research to finished design. A thoughtful and well-designed process log becomes an important addition to your design portfolio. It tells a story. A 60-page collage of outtakes with no text is not a process log. Its an artist’s book and it doesn’t support the design process. (Process log should have introductions, captions, notes, and most importantly, a narrative—a beginning, a middle and an end.)¹