Relationships

To tell you one of my experiences that I had on one of the railways booking counters……….As the enquiry clerk pointed me out, a machine which would answer my queries I had to stand before the big square machine with a screen of bright colors made dull …or may be the screen was actually waning off…or was it the very thought of using it triggered me off…….

Whatever it was I had to be brave enough to face that…But what took me off my feet was I could not figure out how to use it… little due to the tension of the queue behind me with frustrated faces …some due to the fact that all the text giving directions was erased due to handling and the interface was totally incomprehensible for any user who is not used this “genius box”…

If a computer literate like us would be in such a panic mode to use something like that, I wondered what would majority of Indians do? Having in mind that railway is the most convenient means for the commons when airline fares have dropped and the computer ones are already booking tickets in their virus free and high speed internet access… Well, I guess the relation between user (me) and the genius box was not good…

Design for me is a relationship and designer is the one who builds that bond. The relation may be in terms of aesthetics, functionality, comfort, support, brand…whatever your mind allows you to desire……. A design becomes a good concept when the relationship between the user and used gets smooth, effortless and yet gives the small feeling of “my- type”…

Some people call design an idea, some people call design a solution, some people feel design is aestheric, some yet feel something customer oriented art....Design to me is a process. A process which grows, analyses, calculates and deciphers a lot more than the obvious solution

A process which is methodical, analytical and logical. Me thinks a designer needs to have more common sense than aestheic sense for designing, an ear to listen and then an eye for detail...

A design is usually not a single person credit. Its a team..from concept to consumer...

What is Design?

If we look at from the pages of Paleolithic (the stone-age) history, we will see that every thing created was a solution to some requirement…….!!!

Sometimes the invention just came to notice and u called it a discovery (Newton & his apple), and sometimes you discovered a need and invented a new product. (Steam-engine & R.L Stevenson)….. but they were all ideas and concepts at the beginning. Imagine if Orvil & Wilbur Wright would not have thought of flying, would we get Aeroplanes and Cheap Air- Travels for holidays. Design, what I perceive is same at the concept level. It mainly differs when you segregate in terms of profession as fashion, architecture, software, media and the rest. This is because the tools are different, the mediums are different, the jargons are different…..but you may ask what is similar then????

Design if you see in a very broad perspective can be created in two ways

a. Providing solution to a need………..
b. Up-grading the existing design…….

Design if you all agree, I would like to call it as saleable and customer friendly art, in one way. A design is a bad design if the ratio of people is not able to relate to it.

what is it about?

Hi...
I am a designer....and this is my first blog. I have been doing and teaching design for a few years. I have started finding design ideas that apply to any profession. It is my intention to present these ideas through this blog. Your comments and discussions are welcome.

Thanks