Design Is a Process: The Power of Collaboration and Iteration
Expecting the first rendering to be the final design overlooks both the nature and potential of good design. Design is a layered, collaborative, and often nonlinear process that requires exploration, feedback, and revision—not because something went wrong, but because that’s how good ideas evolve. Whether designing a restaurant, hotel, office, or mixed-use space, it’s important to understand why the first version is just the beginning.
It Starts with Strategic Goals
Successful projects begin long before selecting materials or sketching layouts. The process starts with key questions:
What is the purpose of the space?
Who will use it—and how might that change over time?
What operational, functional, and experiential needs must be met?
What are the business objectives?
These foundational answers don’t just guide the initial design; they influence the ongoing evolution of the project. They shape how the space is organized, the atmosphere it creates, its performance, and how well it meets investment goals. Without this foundation, design remains superficial.
Concept Boards Are Where the Dialogue Begins
Once goals are defined, concept boards are developed. These visual tools convey mood, materiality, lighting, furnishings, and overall tone. They are not final selections but conversation starters that set the stage for ongoing refinement.
Multiple versions are typical. Each iteration clarifies direction. Clients often discover preferences previously unknown and rule out what doesn’t resonate. This exploratory phase is essential to the process.
Then Comes the Model—and the Real Work
With a clear concept, the project advances into Design Development. This phase brings the design into three dimensions through models, finish selections, and specified furniture and lighting that translate the vision into a tangible experience.
The first 3D rendering is not the final answer but the beginning of a creative dialogue. It is common for clients to feel, “I like it, but I’m not nervous excited yet.” This response indicates the design is ready to be pushed further.
Design is inherently iterative. Refinements, adjustments, and sometimes major overhauls continue until the space resonates fully. That “nervous excitement” marks the goal, and it rarely appears in the initial version. Each iteration advances clarity and excitement.
The Process Is What Makes It Work
One-shot designs are rarely successful. Instead, spaces should be tested against strategic goals, refined through collaboration, and built to perform on functional, emotional, and financial levels.
Trusting the design process involves active participation, turning initial visions into sharper, more effective realities.
The Windmill Food Hall
Project Spotlight: The Windmill Food Hall
This project exemplifies how collaboration and iteration can transform a functional but uninspired layout into a vibrant, engaging space.
The goal was to fit as many vendors as possible into a 12,000-square-foot historic space in Carlsbad. The original layout placed vendors around the edges with tables in the center, which was functional but resembled a mall food court.
Through multiple revisions, distinct zones emerged: a central indoor-outdoor bar with communal seating, a colorful kid-friendly area, and a quiet “library” with vintage details. The flexible patio accommodates families and events.
The aesthetic evolved through iteration, blending vintage photos, furniture, and antiques for an eclectic vibe. Vendor booths reflected individual brands while contributing to a cohesive theme, requiring layout changes and vendor coordination.
Budget constraints and construction challenges demanded flexibility, yet the design intent remained consistent. The final version developed incrementally through collaboration and revision, demonstrating that the best design results from a process rather than a first draft.
The Windmill Food Hall
Bottom Line
The first version is never “it,” and that is intentional. The true strength of design lies in the revisions, refinements, and collaboration that transform an initial idea into a space that performs, connects, and excites.
If excitement hasn’t sparked yet, that place of anticipation is precisely where the meaningful design journey begins.