GREAT DESIGN
As I mentioned previously, I’m not exactly a designer in the strict sense of the word. I’m just one by thought, participation, and encouragement.
I know great design when I see it, though. I don’t just mean in the aesthetic sense of the word, but in the way a certain design communicates what it’s supposed to. One of the most influential designers the world has ever seen is a man named Dieter Rams, and he had a wonderful saying about it: “Good design is as little design as possible.”
Too often, I think that both clients and designers alike get too caught up in the aesthetics of things. The way things look is important of course, but even more important is the way something is designed to communicate what you need it to.
Does your painting accurately convey what you’re trying to express? Did it really need that extra brushstroke, or did you just throw it on there cause it looks cool?
Did your brand logo need all of that flash, or would something simpler have gotten the message across about who your brand is and what it is about?
Conversely, there’s this whole “minimalism” trend that’s been floating around lately. But most people don’t really understand that that word means. It’s a throwaway marketing word, like saying your food is gluten-free.
Did you really need to make your store black, white, and beige with no stuff in it? Or is it just hip to be minimal? Could it have been better if you put a bit more flourish into it?
Couldn’t your brand logo have been more of a standout design-wise instead of just a thin white font with a black background? If you’re trying to break into a saturated market, sometimes it makes sense to use a lot of colour and wackiness. Or if you’re an already established brand, did you really need to “simplify” your logo?
To me, a great example of fantastic design is the brand MUJI. They get that balance just right. From their logo, to their stores, down to even the music they play.
At the end of the day, I believe that great design is saying who you are the best way you possibly can, with the least amount of extraneous stuff that gets in the way of that. Sometimes that means an extremely colourful and wildly different look. Sometimes that means black and white. Focus on what you’re trying say first; the aesthetics will follow suit.