Our design process for ecommerce, websites, apps, and brand identity
Our approach balances creative exploration with structured methodology. We follow UX design standards from Baymard Institute for web projects, consider platform-specific conventions for mobile apps, and conduct thorough brand research for identity work.
Custom website design process
Most custom web design projects follow this workflow:
- Designer assignment and discovery — We assign one or more designers to study your brand, industry, and target audience. This includes reviewing existing materials and may require an additional discovery meeting to ensure we understand your goals and business context.
- Homepage design and initial concept — We start with your homepage, incorporating the key elements defined during requirements gathering. The homepage establishes visual direction for the entire site.
- Feedback and revision cycle — We send the homepage design for your review, gather feedback, and make necessary revisions until the direction feels right.
- Full site mockups across devices — Once you approve the homepage, we create mockups for:
- Responsive desktop, tablet, and mobile views
- Product or service pages
- Content-heavy pages (about, resources, blog templates)
- Other key pages specific to your site
- Handoff to development — After you approve all mockups, we transfer designs to our development team for implementation.
- Designer involvement through launch — Our designers remain available throughout development for consultation and minor design refinements as your site takes shape.
Template-based websites and theme customization
If you’re working with an existing theme to save time and budget, our design team can assist with:
Brand alignment (colors, typography, imagery)
Minor layout adjustments
Custom graphics and visual elements
Ensuring the theme works well for your specific content
This approach works well when a quality theme already provides the functionality you need, but requires visual customization to match your brand.
Mobile app design process
Mobile app design starts after your technical project manager creates a comprehensive project plan detailing screens (login, home, bookings, notifications, etc.) and backend requirements.
Designer assignment and planning review
Once you approve the project plan, we assign one or two designers who review all specifications before starting mockups.
Screen design based on app purpose
We create mockups for each screen identified in the project plan, considering your app's specific purpose and user workflows.
Platform-specific design considerations
We account for whether your app targets Android, iOS, or both platforms. Each operating system has design conventions and interface guidelines that affect how your app should look and behave.
Controls and interaction design
We design custom controls, pop-ups, and interactive elements—or we adapt native iOS/Android controls based on your preferences and budget. We'll discuss options and recommend what makes sense for your project.
Backend and admin dashboard design
Apps typically include a backend dashboard for managing users, content, and settings. We usually apply a standard admin theme like Metronic rather than custom-designing these internal interfaces, since only your team will see them.
Handoff to mobile development
After you approve all mockups, we transfer designs to our mobile app development team for implementation.
App store graphics and promotional materials
Before launching to the App Store or Google Play, we create graphics and banners for your app's listing page and promotional campaigns to help drive downloads.
Brand identity and logo design process
Branding projects require deeper research and more iteration than other design work. Here’s how we approach brand identity development:
Discovery and immersion
We conduct meetings to understand your company, review your current online presence, and discuss your vision for the brand.
Competitive and audience research
We research your industry, study your competitors, and analyze your target audience to identify positioning opportunities and visual directions that will make your brand stand out.
Initial concept sketches
We create preliminary logo sketches—starting in black and white or grayscale to ensure the mark works without relying on color. This helps us focus on form, proportion, and clarity.
Concept presentation and refinement
We typically present three initial sketches for your review. Based on your feedback, we refine and iterate until we arrive at the strongest version for your brand.
Digital artwork and color application
Once you approve the sketch direction, we create polished digital artwork and apply color using color psychology principles—choosing hues that align with how you want customers to feel about your brand.
Logo variations for different contexts
We prepare logo versions for:
- Dark backgrounds
- Light backgrounds
- Colored backgrounds
- Icon-only applications where the logo needs to work without accompanying text
Mockups in context
We present your logo applied to relevant mediums for your business—business cards, letterheads, digital applications, or other brand touchpoints.
Full asset delivery
You receive all graphic assets including original Photoshop (PSD) or Figma files, vector formats, and prepared versions for print and digital use.
Digital and print collateral design
For marketing materials, advertisements, packaging, and print collaterals, we follow a similar discovery process:
Business and industry research
Understanding your market, audience, and competitive landscape
Brainstorming and concept development
Our designer meets with you to explore creative directions that translate your vision
Medium-appropriate layouts
Designs optimized for their specific format—banner ads, magazine spreads, brochures, posters, product packaging, etc.
Quality assurance for design work
Before any design reaches you for approval, our designers submit their work to our Quality Assurance (QA) team for review. This ensures designs meet technical specifications, display correctly across devices, and follow established standards.
Learn more about our comprehensive QA practices on our testing process page.
Ready to start your design project?
Whether you need a custom website designed from scratch, a mobile app interface, or a complete brand identity—our design process ensures you get work that looks professional, functions well, and serves your business goals.
Commonly asked questions
How long does the design process typically take from start to final delivery?
Timeline depends on project type and complexity. Template-based website customization moves faster than custom design because you’re starting with existing layouts. Custom website design typically takes 3–6 weeks from discovery to approved mockups. Mobile app design depends on the number of screens and platform requirements. Brand identity projects require deeper research and iteration—usually 4–8 weeks from discovery to final assets. Your project manager provides specific timelines during initial planning.
How many revision rounds are included in the design process?
We work iteratively through real-time collaboration sessions where you see changes implemented immediately, which significantly reduces traditional revision cycles. For custom website design, we refine the homepage until the direction feels right before moving to full site mockups. For branding, we typically present three initial logo concepts, then refine your chosen direction through collaborative sessions. There’s no arbitrary revision limit—we continue refining until you approve the final design.
Do you design for both desktop and mobile, or is mobile an add-on?
Responsive design across desktop, tablet, and mobile is built into every web project from the start—not an add-on. All custom website mockups include desktop, tablet, and mobile views. Every layout, navigation element, and interaction is designed to work correctly across screen sizes before development begins.
What file formats and design assets do I receive at project completion?
You receive original source files in industry-standard formats—Figma or Adobe files for web and app designs, vector formats (AI, SVG) for logos and brand assets—plus exported versions optimized for different uses (PNG, JPG for digital, print-ready PDFs). For brand identity projects, you get logo variations for dark, light, and colored backgrounds, plus comprehensive brand guidelines showing correct usage.
Can I use my own designer and just have you handle development?
Yes. If you have internal design resources or work with an external design agency, we can develop from your approved specifications. We work with designs provided in Figma, Adobe XD, Photoshop, or other standard formats. Our developers collaborate with your design team to ensure accurate implementation and address any technical constraints during the build.
What happens if I don't like the initial design concepts?
We gather detailed feedback and create new directions based on your input. During real-time collaboration sessions, you guide adjustments as they happen rather than waiting days for revisions. If initial concepts miss the mark entirely, we explore different creative directions until we land on something that aligns with your vision and business goals. The discovery phase helps prevent major misalignment by ensuring we understand your requirements upfront.
Book a consultation to explore how AI and 1902 Software can transform your next ecommerce project — faster, smarter, and more cost-efficient.