1. Read brief
2. Pour coffee
3. Make the todo

This part is asyncronous

1. Start surfing with a concept in mind

2. Collect reference and kick off the moobard

3. Research competitors or similar design objectives

4. Make a competence analysis

5. Research and or generate brand terms and values

6. Explore typography and grid systems

7. Start designing by throwing things in an artboard

8. Hope for the best

This is how I start my projects but I don't think I could write down my whole decision process, because that's something that varies widely between different projects.