Design has always been around since the time humans existed. It was never realised to be termed as design or art. Design is a way of self-expression and the medium through which you perceive the world.
One of the oldest knows designed objects was the Acheulean Hand Axe (Image on left), it was similar to a blade on a modern axe.
Human being have a need to express one’s self through various forms of art and design such as graphics, interiors, fashion, architecture, painting, sculpting and more. Although human being collectively aim to survive, they have an internal need to stand out from the crowd.
How we innately observe art and design can represent how we observe the world and our representation in it.
As Pablo Picasso quoted, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”, This is very true as every child is creative and we need to keep practising that skill to perfection and to stay as a creative, some make it a hobby and some make it their career.
Design is an art and science in its own way. Designers have the skill to understand their client’s problem and design a creative solution that is not solves your problem in hand but also engages your audience to interact with your brand on a higher level.
Understanding design is a crucial skill for a designer, but as a client, you will be able to help your designer to understand your requirements better, that will lead to a better design result.
There are three perspectives to the same design solution:
First, The Client: The client is the representative of the brand, the decisions maker. They understand the brand the best and knows the problem the most. This is the woman/man you need to convince why your design will help reposition their brand higher. They understand what works for them and what doesn’t.
Second, The Designer: The designer tries to understand the problem in hand by asking various questions that help understand the inner workings of your company, target audience, and your competitors to identify the core problem. They research and strategize the clients story as well as their audience to understand the gaps and improve their design to better help the company serve their audience.
Third, The Audience: The audience is the most important piece in the puzzle, they communicate and interact with the brand in various ways. They oil the brand to keep functioning by providing for their requirements. Most clients identify issues with their brand when their audience rate declines or there is feedback from them.
Here are some key points that will help you reassess your design:
Does this design translate what my company does?
Does it reflect my vision as a brand?
How do my customers feel when they see this design?
Does this design make me and my customer feel connected to the brand?
Does this stand the test of time and is it relevant today?
The answers to these questions will help you reassess your designs and help you communicate with your designer in much clearer way to get the problem across.
Design is tricky, no one appreciates good design, but everyone talks about a bad one.
