“Clutter and overload are not an attribute of information, they are failures of design. If the information is in chaos, don’t start throwing out information, fix the design.”
-Edward Tufte
Can I just say, I LOVE THIS QUOTE! Hmm, maybe that is why I, too, love Apple products (my beloved iPhone included)? Tufte uses five minutes to explain just what it is that makes the Apple iPhone so functional and sexy, at the same time.
When learning about design, there are so many things to be considered. And as a novice in this industry and the world of design, I often get bogged down in how beautiful or professional or fresh something looks. I focus on how can I make this (insert item) the most attractive version of itself, in order to sell, market, and profit from it? But just as in the last post, this post also stressed the importance of functionality rather than aesthetics.
There is a design hierarchy. The content, not our job. As designers, our goal is to understand our audience, and create a product that is intuitive– giving them what they want, before they even know what they want. So I ask myself, how can you do this, AND make it look nice. And the answer I have come up with is aim for functionality. Throw onto paper (or computer, given your preference) the most raw of ideas. Layer them, twist them, turn them, play with them. It is in that playing where you can then realize what goes together and what leaves the user wondering, “WTF?”
Once the bare bones of functionality is created, the aesthetics will come into their own. And just as you layered, twisted, turned, and played with functionality, you too will do this with the visual elements.
I guess this sketching, planning, trial-and-error pre-production has something to it. With each passing project, I feel myself appreciating it a little more. Is this what it feels like to be a designer? Because if it is a constant questioning, pondering, evaluating mindset of how and why when viewing just about anything, then hey, I think I am one!
Nice to meet you, I am Kacie Lett. Designer-Wannabe-in-training.