Boxes And Arrows : The Design Behind the Design

Article Idea:

Comment on Design Is Rocket Science (suggested by Christina Wodtke)

suggested by Vytas Gaizutis on 2007/09/05

Physics is not chemistry. French is not German. Sky diving is not scuba diving. And design (of human computer interfaces) is not Contemporary Art.

There are huge differences between Design and Art, though there is a fuzzy border between them, just as with thousands of other areas of study. Art is about personal expression. Design is about building products and services that others will use in a practical way and, hopefully, enjoy.

Let’s look at illustration versus painting for a minute. The goal of an illustrator is to convey a specific concept that enhances some other primary experience, such as a novel, magazine article, or an ad. Thus, illustration is at the service of the primary content and not intended to be the sole expression of the illustrator.

Contrast this with a painter, who is generally conveying a feeling, point of view, reflecting on an his/her impression of beauty, or making some sort of social commentary. Unless it’s a specifically commissioned piece, the intention of a work of fine art is to be a form of personal expression. Even though there are edge and crossover cases, it’s important to understand this distinction.

In many ways, design is like illustration in that it also is at the service of people. Designers create experiences that are intended to make people’s live better, safer, or both. The best design also delights. As Don Norman put it, “attractive things work better.” They do because human perception makes it so. Understanding visual perception and cognition is key, and these fall under the domain of design via the process that is followed.

It’s not enough to merely blend some colors and say “Yeh, green looks cool. It will be green.” That my be fine for a digital artwork, but what are the issues with respect to visual perception, the psychological associations to color, cultural interpretations, color-blindness concerns, the character it lends to forms, and branding issues (with respect to the competitive landscape)? These are “design” issues.

how about an article on the art and science of design?