A design is basically a sketch or blueprint for the design or structure of something, generally of some kind. The word ‘design’ has a broader meaning and usually refers to a type of artistic creation. A design may be used for art, science, medicine, engineering or manufacturing; it can also be used as a way of expressing a person’s personality or some kind of philosophy. The word ‘design’ is therefore, used to describe a wide range of things. A person who excels in one area of design (like computer design for example) can use the term ‘designing’ to apply to their work in another area, so that they can use the term interchangeably with ‘skill’.

A designer must have a set of specific design goals before they start on any design process. Design goals usually include the size, shape and cost of the end product. Design goals can also include deadlines, a budget and a time frame. Once a set of design goals have been established, the designer can then go about designing the product, starting from the first step of concept through the completion of the final design.

Some designers use CAD software to design the initial sketches. Other designers use manual drafting or they can combine both approaches. These two approaches often use different sets of digital design methods. For example, an architect may use a set of digital design methods called shadings while a designer at a computer-manufacturing plant will use a set of digital design methods known as raster graphics. It is also possible to combine these two sets of design methods if the designers so desire.