Good Design for beginners
“Good Design is Good Business”, rightly quoted by Thomas J. Watson. explaining simple term of business and design, together. In India, we have observed that a lot of marketeers have been producing design at the same rate as idli at any fast-food joint. Mediocrity has found its way to seep through these cracks. In this rat race, with growing startups and constant competition to grab top brands, we have forgotten how to produce GOOD DESIGN.
Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer, has laid down 10 commandments of Good design, mainly for product and development of user experience. And we agree with him and many others who follow these principles, but do these exact principles apply to visual design or visual communication?
Back in the day, while studying Philipe Starck, we were in awe of his designs. We understood why a simple chair costed us hundreds of dollars. We realised that it was not just the person’s experience that was calculated, but the research to understand and get the right ergonomics, the material, the innovation, the eye to detail to make every experience a comfortable one.
Going a little further into the past, we realised how posters were ‘a thing’.
They not only started a revolution in design but brought people closer. They communicated a message, evoked a feeling of togetherness, and with use of minimal graphics and strong typography, set an era of its own. As Art Nouveau started dying, it made way for modernism — Cubism, Dadaism, Futurism & Expressionism had become chief influencers. The bold typography, minimal and graphical approach towards visual representation of their thoughts had taken over giving birth to minimalism. Read more here.
During wars, communication was a problem. People had to reunite to be able to start a revolution.
A symbol/poster/product was designed to be able to solve that problem. In this case, the solution being the poster is Good Design.
So what exactly are we trying to say? Here’s a definition we’ve designed to explain it better:
A piece of design that has been innovated to have an honest communication with its audience. It succeeds by evoking an emotion in an unobtrusive manner with a keen eye to aesthetics only to sustain for a long long time, without affecting and harming the environment, is GOOD DESIGN.
- Good Design is an innovation.
You don’t have to be a scientist or a genius to innovate. Let’s take an example — PAD MAN. A bollywood film, inspired from life of social activist, Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine and is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India.
While this example is product based, let’s look at another example of Airbnb’s logo. When they decided to rebrand, they kept in mind something very simple — customer experience and love for travel. The identity design communicates with the audience, not only making it memorable, but also evokes a feeling for a community from across the globe.
2. Good Design is simple.
It’s like a joke, if you have to explain it, it’s no longer funny. Simple design is everywhere. A mall is filled with signages. But a good way finder helps you reach to the nearest toilet, on time. Simple doesn’t mean minimal but effectively communicative.
3. Good Design is functional.
How does one identity a functionality of a visual design, right? With a product of a user interface it is easy to identify but what happens when it’s 2D? This brings us back to the topic of Posters. A good poster will communicate effectively, in the most simplest form with its aesthetic intact. That makes it functional. A poster’s function is to communicate a message and if it does, without confusing the viewer, it is a good poster.
Functionality also applies to toys. We have all played with Lego as kids and Hot Wheels! The function is to build, not just the toy but a kid’s development skills — push, pull, dissect and build.
4. Good design evokes a feeling.
If Psycho’s movie poster was a flower, would it communicate the thrill? No, right? Similarly, if a post, poster, logo, visual language or even a book cover is not designed to evoke a feeling, provoke a thought or inspire the viewer, it fails.
5. Good design is honest.
It does not beat around the bush to communicate. It is direct, straightforward and sincere. It does not deceive or leave you with an unsettled experience. These days, most sustainable brands choose to be honest with their customers. Especially food brands have started listing down ingredients, produce, manufacturing, etc to win a consumer’s trust. One of the most honest beverage brand we’ve come across is Raw Pressery. A healthy cold pressed juice brand that started out as asubscription based product which eventually entered the retail market to reach out to a larger audience. Their aim was to promote healthy living through custom-made juices sent to your door-step.
We’re not saying that these are rules engraved on a stone, but things to keep in mind to be more effective, communicative and memorable.
What is Good Design by Blckspce Studio?
We’re a bunch of creative nerds who are passionate about good design. We wish to promote effective communication in a world full of mediocrity. In this growing age of fast design, we want to take it slow, for us, this is no factory. Our goal is to bring like minds together and open a new door for those who’ve been blinded. We are here to create something good, for great may not exist.
