The best process is one where the client calls the designer before the project is a rush! Kidding aside, some designers don't do a good enough job of explaining what they do. But most of us prefer puzzling through the whos, whys, hows and what ifs of a business problem. And only then does a visual solution emerge.

There is no one-size-fits-all process but there are some essential best practices to employ — get the designer involved early, develop a great creative brief together that acts as the roadmap for design solutions, develop realistic schedules and budgets together...and stick to them, create great work that gets results — whether that's more customers, more members, fewer calls to your IT department or just a well-informed, engaged audience.