On Design March 19, 2008

Today I am tackling that big, illustrious word: Design

Why? A new course in my studies is on Design Management, and the first chapter describes for us what it is, and some of its roots and branches. Since my background is originally in Business Management, Marketing, and Logistics, my original conception (for years) was that design was about aesthetics, while everything else was engineering. This perceptual model slowly changed with time, especially after I came into my first job out of college and met with our industrial and packaging designers. Over the last six years, I’ve come to meet and befriend designers in a variety of fields who have taught and exposed me to a plethora of topics and principles common to their line of work.

But you know what the most valuable thing I learned was? There’s a big difference between Art and Design. The former is pure creative, while the latter encompasses: research, planning, creative, and testing. This deep insight has immensely expanded my appreciation for the roles that designers play in our lives, and their contribution to business and society.

Design is both a noun and a verb

Thus, Design implies both an Intention (plan or objective in analytical and creative stages), and an Outcome (model or form in execution stages).

While there are many design disciplines, each with their own objectives and serving different audiences (commissioners and users), these basic elements hold true.

A major difference among the disciplines is the degree to which each is oriented to either Art or Science. The design tree on the right (click on image) serves as an excellent model to this practical theory that design encompasses both.

While this diagram shows the traditional major design categories: Environmental, Product, Packaging, and Graphic…there are some additional categories not shown, that can stand on their own or act in conjunction with others. These include: Information, Interactive, Communication (nonverbal, written), and Process design (quality and time improvement).

Design is an activity that’s problem-solving, creative, systemic, and coordinating. This is identical to the role of Management, with the addition of Oversight, Leadership, and Strategic Analysis & Planning.

An additional element of design some people consider relevant, is cultural contribution. This implies that the objective of design is also to provide some societal or ecological benefit; it may be questionable based on the context of the situation, but at least we can subscribe to a primary rule of sustainability: First, do no harm.

When we now observe design from this perspective, well heck…there’s a lot of folks engaged in some form of design everyday; we just don’t recognize them as ‘designers’. One that comes to mind for me is supply chain planners who optimize the efficient production and distribution of goods.

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How do you see the role of design? Are there additional disciplines or other aspects of design you would like to share?