Good Design
Design has been an obsession of mine for the past two years—a very short time in the grand scheme of things. When I tell myself that, it seems odd. I can rifle through design articles, books, collections and blogs for hours without a passing thought of hunger or rest. The only nutrition my mind groans for during these fruitful hours is but more knowledge and insight into my newly beloved passion. Complex layerings of online and offline influences have lead me to think and design with certain ideals in mind; ideals which have formed within me a personal conception of good design.
Read these following tenets with a grain of salt—I am young and admittedly naive, but the experiences I have had and the selective teachings I have curated inside my mind have lead to this short list of ideologies. For the time being, I believe them to be true.
1. Good design is more than just a pretty face. It’s easy to stare at a glowing screen and scroll through a long list of 500-pixel-wide images and find something you connect to and enjoy. This initial impact is important. It leads you into the work, but it doesn’t carry you through it. Graphic design is the most instantly gratifying of all design practices, but this does not demote the discipline down to a 3-second evaluation. If it doesn’t serve it’s purpose, then it isn’t a successful work of design, no matter how great of an impact it makes on you emotionally.
2. Good design is no more than it must be. If the bells and whistles don’t make any noise, then why do you need them?
3. Good design is the harmonious combination of art and utility. Architecture is more easily understood to fall into this category of combined function and aesthetic, as it is a more physical and sustained experience. Expressing this to the public is one of the greater challenges I have found within the realm of visual communication.
4. Good design is modern and unbridled by tradition. By modern, I don’t mean a style in which geometric form reigns supreme and Helvetica is the mean king of the streets. Design should be modern in the sense that the product should be informed only by the current status quo, not the traditions of past. Just because something worked in Ancient Greece, doesn’t mean it will work well in modern day Manhattan. Reevaluation of tradition is a must.
5. Good design lies within the problem. The best solution to any design problem lies within the problem itself. Don’t look to trends or similar solutions. This will only lead to stale work and hinder the overall progress of design.
