What Makes Great Design
I believe this will be a reccuring topic on this site, as it is at the core of what the site is about. So why not sink our teeth in. In a recent coversation with a friend and fellow designer we discussed the kind of work we are seening from other designers. There is of course tons of bad design. We all know that. We all see it every day. There is lots of stuff that is OK, and there is stuff that is supurb.
A lot of stuff that I see coming from young designers fresh out of school is very flashy, very slick and really cool. But is it supurb design? Some of it is, and some of it is not. I would not put much in the “bad design” category. These students have worked hard, and they have learned a lot.
However, it does seem to me that a lot of it is trying too hard to be “cool” at the expense of the design’s purpose or intent. To me, in design, form follows function. Great design is 99% about performing a function adequately. Get the idea across, get out of the way. Sometimes this is done best with type, sometimes an image works faster. Sometimes a combination of the two is most effective.
Here is an example:
This image is from Craig Frazier Studio. The website is filled with excellent design and can be found here: Craig Frazier Studio. In this example you get imediately what the poster is about from the visual. There is nothing confusing to stand in the way. There is a very clear message.
It is important to me, as a designer to keep the perspective of purpose at the forefront of my mind when designing. At the end of the day, I want my client to be happy with the result. I want the work to be effective. How it rates among other designers is important to me too, but less important.