Design seems to be one of those fields lying at the intersection of a lot of fields and yet not any particular place. Design seems to be diversified into many channels
- - Industrial Design
- - Interaction Design
- - Graphic Design
- - Product Design
- - Furniture Design
- - Fashion Design
- - Interior Design
For now, anything I post shall be related to the first four in the list. I can't claim to know anything about the remaining three and I admit, I don't have a strong inclination towards them except the interest in the final outcome as such.
One of the questions, that has often come to my mind is the dichotomy between Art and Design? I don't have a really good answer to that. I have read people commenting that there is a basic difference in the way both are approached. Art is at the core, done for itself. There may not be a functional aspect of it, neither does it have to express itself as an everyday object. Design, at its very core, is functional. It may or may not be aesthetically pleasing. The context within which and a design object exists may design that. For example, when you are looking to build sustainable shelters for refugees or people displaced because of hurricanes, it is less important for the object to look pretty. Rather, within the fixed budget, a well-designed shelter would be one that is easily built, uses light but sturdy materials, is space-efficient and is easily transportable. However, in an over-saturated market aesthetically superior design will make a difference in sales. Case in point: Apple computers. Their innovative design definitely makes people look at them. Give a reasonably stable OS and a well-designed interface and you find people buying Macs even if they cost a little more. I certainly did, and I must say, I love it.
This also brings me to an eternal rule of good design
Good design is one that sustains over time
In other words, these things do not usually lose their charm over time. I suspect Mac users can attest to this. I am positive I have read that line somewhere too. (Also, things don't change irregularly like the font from the above paragraph to this one.)
Anyway, this is going to be my last line for the night/morning.... For those who are interested, I urge you to check out 'Principles of Uncertainty' by Maira Kalman. It is also fairly interesting to hear her talk about her life. Her approach to life and (my guess is) her work is incredibly simple yet beautiful. She is the wife of the influential graphic designer Tibor Kalman.
