Why design? The Importance of Design in 2023
“Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design can be simple. That’s why it’s so complicated.” - Paul Rand
The Meaning of Design
Even for designers, defining design can be an overwhelming task. Inherently, design is multifaceted and multi-functional. Design can be a process or an action. It can be a plan of action or the result of a plan. Principles of design range from dreamy, conceptual theory to highly-structured engineering and management.
Defining design is further complicated by the various contexts it is used in, each defining design slightly differently. Design encompasses a wide range of fields, including graphic design, industrial design, fashion design, interior design, architecture, engineering, data analysis and information design among many others.
Yet, in all these fields the primary function of design is to create a plan or blueprint for the construction, development, or production of an object, system, or process.
Understanding Design Principles
To this end, design focuses on problem solving as a core skill. Designers use principles, such as Design Thinking, to approach problems from different perspectives and come up with innovative solutions. These problem solving skills are fundamental to ensuring that new products or systems function within the predetermined set of parameters and constraints. These design principles also ensure that various other parameters are met, ranging from ethical standards to marketability of the product or system.
User-Centred Solutions
Good design focuses on the user and user experience to create enjoyable interactions with the product/s or services. Designers use research and data to understand user needs and design solutions that are intuitive and easy to use.
Aesthetics and Emotion
Good design is visually appealing and catches the eye of the viewer. Design can be used to evoke emotions, create a sense of trust, and help to communicate a message.
Functionality
Design plays a key role in ensuring that a product or service is functional and easy to use. Well-designed products and services are intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly.
Communicating Ideas
Design is a powerful tool for communication. It can be used to convey complex ideas in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Designers use typography, colour, and other visual elements to create designs that communicate ideas effectively. This often plays a crucial role in securing funding or a market for the product or service.
Building Brand Identity and Marketability
Similarly, design can aid in developing a strong brand identity, which is visually consistent across all touchpoints, from logos and websites to product packaging and marketing materials.
Optimisation
Design excels in optimisation, whether it be in terms of cost, effort, quality or sustainability. Good design will strike a balance between these and each product or service may prioritise some of these features over others.
The Design Process
The process of design is an iterative process which starts by understanding the constraints within which the solution needs to take place. The process from there is to solve for these requirements in an order of priority, each time testing and evaluating the solution. As the design matures there is a point at which the output of new solutions diminishes with the input of time and energy. There is no such thing as a perfect design, and as such the eventual solutions which present themselves are often a compromise.
Defining design constraints or requirements early on in the process is key to an efficient development of the solution. However, the nature of the design process is such that, as you cycle through the process of solving for these requirements, new information is often established which may alter the original requirements. This is often referred to as scope creep, and at these junctures, decisions must be made to either redefine the requirements or keep to the original plan. These junctures often lead to add on or new products to expand on the original solution.
Designing for the Future
The benefits of good, responsible design are significant for businesses and society as a whole. As the complexity of the world around us increases and the need for sustainable solutions grows, good design sits at the forefront of improving the products and services we use daily, ensuring that we minimise unnecessary clutter in our lives, and ultimately working towards a better quality of life all round.
This has just been a brief introduction to the world of design. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated as we further explore this exciting frontier of design.
