Design resilience
Good design is knowing how to be timeless
and when to adapt to the times.
Defining what good design is and how it is achieved is an elusive goal. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Some say design should follow a defined process and be practiced by specialists, while others believe process kills creativity and design thinking can happen at any point and come from anywhere. Wherever on this spectrum you find yourself, I believe there is a consistently proven set of design principles that collectively make up what good design is built upon. These principles reflect my own experiences and philosophy on craft, collaboration, alignment and team building within the ever changing world of design. It’s about resilience, and what it takes to be timeless while simultaneously being able to adapt to changes in culture and behavior.
01.
Design with intention
The real enemy of design is subjectivity. The best way to combat our subjective nature is to filter every solution through clear intention and purpose.
Personal aesthetic preferences, the democratization of feedback, and the overall perceptive scrutiny that designed solutions must face makes subjectivity the largest hurdle to overcome.
The best way to combat our subjective nature is to filter every solution through clear intention and purpose. This means a deep understanding of the audience and the goals behind what is to be achieved.
Intentional design and problem solving go hand-in-hand. Its the ability to ask the right questions in order to focus on the real answer. By accessing and aligning on what the true guardrails and opportunities are, we’re more capable to come to an understanding and reach an effective solution.
02.
Designers are educators
We educate on techniques, tools, templates, process and solutons. Self preservation, and design integrity rely on our ability to access and align with others.
Outside of crafting pixels, the majority of my time is focused on providing education to others. This applies to training team members on design approaches, demonstrating the value of our ideas to clients, explaining the intention behind our solutions, and developing templates and/or guidelines that are usable and repeatable for others.
Education on the intended design approach establishes group alignment and inspires growth for everyone. It empowers others by showing them the way so that they too can act with clarity while simultaneously having ownership over the final result.
03.
Designers must embrace adaptation
You don’t have to chase down every new design trend, or technology. However, if you ignore them, you are sure to be left behind.
In the ever-changing world of design, you cannot afford to stay comfortable for too long. Software gets updated, new tools are introduced, best practices are constantly being redefined by culture. All these things are darwinian in nature. Some will become adopted as the new normal, some will struggle for relevancy after a time, and others will simply be forgotten or replaced by next great thing. You don’t have to chase down every des design trend or technology. However, if you ignore them, you are sure to be left behind.
Therefore, designers need to become experts at adapting. We adapt to new tools, techniques, process, shifts in culture, group dynamics. It’s anxiety producing and empowering all at the same time. You need to be in an almost constant state of asking “there has to be a better way to do this”.
Robust tools do not make good designers, but they are enablers for the expression of good ideas.
04.
Design leadership
We lead by understanding unique perspectives and creating a space for expression.
Working with team-members, agency partners or individual clients, the principles for establishing design leadership are relatively the same. Its about having patience, empathy, and being humble – simple right?
I prefer to lead by example. I like to get my hands dirty with design, to show others the way and provide them with whatever safety nets they may need in order to understand and adapt things for themselves. Designs job is to create an environment where everyone can feel extraordinary. Its about fostering improvement and encouraging growth.