The Importance of Good Design
What Inspires Me as a Designer
When I first think of ‘good design’ I think of something that is unique and captivating. A new use of an old technique, something inventive and daring, something I only wish I was creative enough to think up on my own. However, good design goes far beyond a pretty exterior or face value aesthetics.
Good design is imperative for the world to function as we know it. When thinking of design in the light of wayfinding, it becomes clear just how HUGE of an impact design has on the world. What if the green guide signs on the interstate had a script typeface? It would make navigating anywhere new very, very difficult and dangerous. In the same vein, thinking about road construction and warning signs, could you imagine if a path was too dangerous to trek and there was a tiny gray sign off in the bushes instead of a big bright sign to grab your attention and provoke a sense of urgency? Or, if the information regarding food allergies was hard to find on a food label? In the most basic sense, good design is important for the safety and well being of people.
Let’s think about good design in regards to promotional means or interactivity. I’m sitting here in my bedroom writing this and to my left is a box of Scattergories. Referencing what I said at the beginning, good design does not necessarily mean appealing or eye-catching, however that definitely does play a major role in some areas. People do very much judge books by their covers and thinking about board games such as Scattergories, it’s important for the company that the packaging entices people and makes them want to learn more and hopefully buy it. Even the whole design of the game itself is important. A poor game board or game card design could make it difficult to play or make the consumer feel underwhelmed and uninterested, in turn, leaving them dissatisfied with the product and potentially leaving them to take their business elsewhere next time.
Stepping back to examine design at an even further perspective, as graphic design is just one of many applications. As broadly as I can think to describe it, design is a set of principles for creating the new. Good design is imperative in anything that is created as the by-product’s job usually pertains to keeping people safe, informed, or entertained and all the while the design should be working as efficiently as possible.
There are far more examples of what good design can do for safety, efficiency, and enjoyment and I’ve hardly just scratched the surface. In conclusion, I think in any sense or subset of design, the goal is to be effective and develop an efficient system to achieve and maintain that effectiveness whether that be safety in architecture, certainty in wayfinding, or engagement in graphic design.
To talk about what inspires me as a designer now, I think it’s only fair I share what inspired me to become one first.
I grew up in a very creative family. My parent’s, grandparents, and siblings are all very artistically inclined, however no one in my family does art as a working profession. That said, I’ve been creating ever since I can remember, whether it be post-it note flip-books, play-dough portraits, or little villages made out of sticks and rocks, and whatever else I could find outside.
I think it puts it into some kind of perspective to say that I was always ‘that one kid’ who made really weird projects incessantly to give to family members. For example, this one time I pounded rocks into a chunk of wood I found laying outside and then glitter glued it and stuck photos on it. My mom of course told me she loved it and that I was very creative (oof). But I do think my family being so supportive and encouraging played a huge role in me being where I am today. You could say they were my *inspiration* for the majority of my younger years.
Growing up, my projects were always inspired by nature or the cool things I found in nature. I grew up in a small town in the woods in northern Minnesota, so the majority of my art supplies were whatever I found around in the yard or the woods. Kind of tying that into what inspires me today — nature is definitely a big one. I’ve noticed that even since leaving home I find myself creating art that is about nature or that has some relevance to it. Which makes complete sense given my upbringing, but it was still kind of interesting to notice.
I’m constantly inspired by design around me, I love looking at signs and menus and advertisements and asking myself what I like about it, what makes it a good design, or what don’t I like, where do I feel the design could improve? Not to be judgemental of others’ work, but just because I think lifelong learning is a huge part of design and taking time to analyze and ‘notice’ is good for the ol’ brain. Sometimes, I even turn it into a game with my boyfriend and we take turns rating logos and giving examples of why it’s effective or not (which is fun because my boyfriend is a geologist).
Lastly, I find inspiration on the internet/in the media. I follow many artists on instagram which span a wide variety of art styles and categories, and am always on the lookout for new ones. I like to look at pinterest and behance to awe over people’s creativity too.
I think I just find inspiration all day every day. There’s too much fun in the everyday to go uninspired. It could be something as simple as a beautiful sky or a broken cracker in the shape of Minnesota.