COMMON MYTHS ABOUT DESIGN
Design has existed for a very long time and over time, it has racked up a lot of myths which have continued to exist even till now even though they are not quite true.
These myths do not only hurt only designers but also all businesses, as business owners definitely lose a lot of benefits because they simply believe these myths. Below are some of the most commonly heard myths about design and corrections for them:
Myth: Design is a Tool
Correction: Design is a Process
Many people, especially learning designers have developed a belief that when they know how to use design tools like Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, they are ready to take on any design project. But design cannot be based on this narrow perspective because it involves a process that takes ideas through stages of critical thinking and prototyping till an end result design is produced.
As such, design is considered a process rather than just a tool. It involves a process called the design thinking process which starts from understanding the problem to getting ideas, to creating prototypes to test the problem-solving ability, durability and market-fit of the design and then creating the final product.
Myth: Design is the same thing as art
Correction: The Design is a Design
There are many debates about whether design is considered to be art or science among designers from different fields of study. This is because there are many different approaches to design based on the field of study. People in the art field of study such as Graphic designers view design from the visual arts perspective while people in the engineering field of study such as product designers view design from the scientific perspective of design as an applied science to final products. But design includes both science and art. While art is used to make a product attractive and display its best features, science is used to make the product functional.
Myth: Aesthetics is another word for design
Correction: Design is a Form and Function
Many people see design as the creation of beautiful images and interfaces. But design is much more than aesthetics, in fact, design is concerned with form and function. Design is concerned with how we perceive what has been designed and how it looks (form) and how the product works or can be used (function). A product with great form but no function will be useless and one with function and no form will be useful but unattractive. Without a good balance, designed products will not have a good market fit.
Myth: Designers don’t need a degree
Correction: Designers need Design Education
Many young designers jump to the internet, quickly learn some tools, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, and consider themselves designers. While the Internet is a useful source of information and can be considered an effective learning tool, it does not involve full track education, there are certain requirements for a designer’s education: design theories, design principles, design implementation, etc.
For a designer to persevere in any design environment of his/her chosen design niche (Painting, Product design, etc.), he or she must have a full knowledge of design. Which is why even though designers might not need a degree, they do need a design education.
Finally, there are a lot of misunderstood facts about design and these facts do not only affect the designers but also how other people view design. It is a big challenge for designers to work hard to fight against these myths by building a clear understanding of the role of design.
