Five Principles to Design By

Great point, design is supposed to solve a problem! I didn’t know that St Exupery said that quote though.

These are for the most part great. But my interpretations of art and design differ significantly.

It matters very little what observers think or do: the practice of Art doesn’t require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist, and the artist alone.

The viewer of art is a critical role. I don’t know one artist who has ever made anything (that was going to be seen by any other human) that didn’t consider how someone is going to react to it. In fact, I’d say that the definition of art is creating something that people have a reaction to, thus predicating the viewer, or else art can’t exist. Oxford’s English Dictionary defines art in part:

…producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power

“To be appreciated” means there needs to be someone to appreciate.

There are people who only make art for themselves, but in that case, it is themselves who fill the roll as viewer. Without someone to experience art, it’s my belief that art ceases to exist.

Josh states,

We marvel at Michelangelo’s David even though we could recreate a million of them because it was the toil and expression of a single man.

“we marvel” means there’s an audience (the appreciators!). For the a great deal of art from David’s era, artists made creations for benefactors. If the benefactor didn’t like it, the artist might not again get such a payday and thus couldn’t feed his family.

Design is certainly art. Design is art that has an additional purpose beyond beauty or emotional power, I think it is thus a high form of art. Returning to Oxford’s from the verb definition of “design” we extract that designing is done,

with a specific purpose or intention in mind

So, imo, design is art with a specific purpose, utility, or intention in mind…

I originally wrote a whole ton here, but I’ve left only this abridged version (!). To view my whole reaction, check out my blog entry here at Re¢ently. My original reaction was too long for a comment, and I felt it deserved its own blog entry.

Brian, you’re right. Art doesn’t require people to do anything except appreciate…design requires something of us. Use.

I tweaked my post to reflect that.

Technology Serves Humans.: “Too often people blame themselves for the shortcomings of technology.”

In my experience, people blame technology for the shortcomings of technology. Granted you do a lot more research than I but in both my research and real world interactions more often than not I hear the comment ‘darn / #$%ing computer’.

I would hone this statement by saying people expect technology to fail, people share the blame for the failure because they are utilising the technology. However, the end point is the same, its not your fault, more than you chose to use an unreliable method to complete a task. And yes, designers should work towards fixing this issue.

Design is not Art. “Great Art, on the other hand, is always in style.”
And great designs always work: the wheel, the button. Design and art are not mutually exclusive, the ‘joy of use’ combines both form and function in to an experience that is both created and designed at the same time. Some Apple products are a good example of this.

Great Design is Invisible.
I would say well designed function should be transparent (invisible) but again design and art, function and form, are interlinked. I can see how you are talking about purely virtual designs but once you think about product design with embedded virtual interfaces (e.g. ipod) then you must take in to account aspects of industrial design. People enjoy the ipod in part because it is artistically pleasing.

Simplicity:
We are the technology we create. As it evolves so does our understanding of it. I know more about the internet today than I did yesterday, and the machine knows more about me. We are evolving together. What was too complex yesterday may be a little more understandable today based on my experiences with technology.

Simplicity is relative and changing. Designs should not be boiled down to the lowest common denominator, but be malleable interactions that grow in sophistication with our understanding of the new world around us.

Simplicity should be scalable.

Pauric, certainly some people know to blame technology. Too many people, however, blame themselves. It’s actually odd to hear it, and it never ceases to surprise me.

According to Wikipedia’s entry for Art:

“The denotation art implies some degree of aesthetic value, regardless of any practical value of the art in question.”

This dovetails with my distinction between appreciation(aesthetic) and use(practicality).

Web Design, Product Design and Page Design (magazines/books) requires use. Graphic Design (like in magazine ads and billboards) only require Communication.

But your point did get me thinking about all this.

On blame: I’m afraid I’m just not getting it. Can you give us/me a scenario where a user fails to complete a task due to either system error or functional ineptitude and will blame themselves for the failure.

I think the majority of humans have a tendency to first look elsewhere when placing blame. They came out of nowhere when I crashed, my alarm didnt go off, the dog ate it.

Or

Word wont let me do that, not ‘Its my fault I’m not that skilled with word’.
The printer has that incompressible PC Load letter error message again, not ‘I failed to install the correct driver’
Why wont yahoo simply forward an attachment, not ‘I’m a fool for not knowing that I must save & reattach images in yahoo mail’
When computer crashes they are more likely to want to throw the thing out the window not kick themselves.

Again, I dont doubt you are right but I am having trouble citing examples where people blame themselves when there’s a perfectly good scapegoat sitting right in front of them, unable to answer back!

You had me until the last two.

Design shouldn’t always be invisible. Aesthetics can be and should be a very important component of design. Products that work well but are ugly and ill-formed are still poorly designed.

Simplicity is a trendy adjective to strive for. More simplicity often means less control for users and more top-down imposition from designers who “know best what the users need.” Not everything needs to be–or should be–simple. Do you want a simple air traffic control panel? Elegance is a better adjective here.

If design is invisible you can’t see it. If it is invisible it can’t be design.

Substitute ‘experience’ as you will.

Addendum: Tell me, young birdy, what did you think?

Pauric…completely anecdotal evidence from watching many user tests. I’ve heard it dozens of times…my parents say it…many people I know blame themselves…it’s really a common thing.

And the number of times that it stops someone from doing something is probably more…

Thanks! “And the number of times that it stops someone from doing something is probably more… ”

Thats the design issue in my view - fear of failure. My take on solving the problem is not so much design for error prevention, but by preempting failure through ui cues such as guidance. Forewarned is forearmed.

I hear your anecdotal evidence, I hypothesize that people will blame themselves in the presence of an expert as this is more likely to garner help. Either way - splitting hairs. I think interfaces should be humble and invite blame, thus reducing fear of failure.

Great post Joshua. However, I’m not sure I agree 100% about everything you’ve got here. For starters, the Art bit.

Design certainly isn’t art - however, I think art has a place in design. “Art” can add emotion to design and that’s sometimes a vital and necessary thing. Self-expression, or the enablement of self-expression, can be a good thing when it comes to design. If there is a need to add emotion to what we design, and I think there often is, then art has its place. However adding emotion can also increase complexity.

Which brings me to simplicity. Dan Saffer already touched on this and I agree with his point. I’m all for simplicity, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice value or meaning. I think you support that, but it’s an important distinction to make.

#6> Design and SEO/SEM play nice together! We live in a performance driven world.

Keith, you’re right. I think we agree. I’m all for emotion in design, and I think that it can be a force of good. But the ultimate judgment isn’t dependent on that…

More broadly, this is a mistake that I’ve made and I think lots of designers make. It’s that we somehow see the design as representing us personally, and in a small way it does but in a larger way it doesn’t. It’s easy to take criticism of a design personally, even though its usually not meant so. In fact, I still struggle with this myself.

That’s exactly why this is a principle that I design by…so as to remember what its all about.

Not just science tells us we can’t have intelligence without emotion. If you believe that, and it is also, presumably, safe to assume that design can’t exist without at least some degree of intelligence, emotion is not added to design it is already a part of it, if not a function. Attachment is a different matter, if not of a different order, and, designer or not, will depend upon your personal and cultural preferences. And even perhaps how much free time you have to spend on it.

Great article Josh, however I do strongly disagree with the following statement:

Design is not Art.

Art is about personal expression. It is about the life, the emotions, the thoughts and ideas of the artist. It matters very little what observers do, their activity is not required, only their appreciation. The practice of Art doesn’t require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist, and the artist alone.

I think that this is a limited view of the artist, and of the designer. I consider myself an artist whose medium happens to be a computer. I create experiences for participants. (I do not like the term ‘user’ because it sounds so sterile. Perhaps ‘experiencer’ is more accurate

I use artistic sensibilities and design principles to minimize distractions, and delight the viewer as they go through the process they are seeking to complete. My goal is for the viewer to be not only physically and mentally engaged, but emotionally as well. I think that designers should embrace their role as artists, architects, storytellers, and experience creators. In this way, a designer becomes empowered and responsible for creating engaging experiences, not just ‘web designs.’ And that’s what viewers remember: The experience.

The goals of the artist and the designer are one in the same:

As Saint Exupery said, “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

“The progression of a painter’s work… will be toward clarity; toward the elimination of all obstacles between the painter and the idea, and between the idea and the observer… to achieve this clarity is, inevitably, to be understood.” –Mark Rothko

Good post! I’m glad my design teacher pointed me to it.

I could agree with the statement, “Design is not always art.”
Design is a requisite part of art. A work of art is designed to affect an audience in specific ways. Designing for function or purely to acheive a desired form or aesthetic require very similar conscious processes of fore thought and planning, followed by skillful execution, and implementation.

I do agree that the best designs, whether merely beautiful or created for utilitarian purposes, are transparent. They both work well without drawing undue attention to the artist/designer. They both communicate and transcend barriers and simplify the complex through symbol.

To say that art is focused on the artist simply emoting or expressing without regard to audience ignores what is arguably the greatest strenth of art, its ability to affect the viewer. In that sense, the best and most useful designs could be said to be the most artful since they are so effective at communicating and compelling the user to understand things the way the designer sees them.

The best designers are artists, and the best artists are mastermind designers.

As a side note, art is not simply about self-expression, it is about representation of reality. Emotion is only one aspect of human reality and the human condition. Art is useful in understanding that condition generally not only as pertaining to the artist as an isolated individual. Art is not made in a vaccum any more than design. Art too, is always contextual.

design is about use. Every designer should read that sentence daily.

Isn’t the design of an ipod art? Yes, but what matters more is how it works. The UI is awesome, and in my opinion what makes the product great.

In respect of the glaringly, perhaps intentionally, missing principle, great design might not always be good design. For example, not all of the designs humans have come up with over the years have always been appreciated by all of the humans involved. Hence, whilst a design may indeed be successful and well used it may not always be rightly used, even if only in the eyes of those on the receiving ends, a distinction that need not be solely confined to the automotive industry. Boundary conditions, or principles, that have been offered here have often been neglected by art. Whilst, perhaps not always fortuitously, designs which might fall into this category can be just as likely to turn up in art as they might elsewhere.

I disagree:”Design is not Art”.

A design comes with the look and usability.
You can’t say a frame without a picture is a “great design”.
You need the image to give your experiencer an idea to interact with the functionality. The image i’m talking about is the “ART”. You can’t build a design without ART involved. So art and design always stick each other. Lets just make them as ONE to be simple.

don’t hate.:)

Pauric…I’ve got proof. From a chat I had today:

“okay, I’m a dumbass….I’m trying to login to wordpress and I seem to have forgotten my username and password.”

On the topic of “Art”, see particularly John Dewey’s “Art as Experience”, Aristotle’s “Poetics”, and George Berkeley’s “Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.” Dewey probably does best in exploring art and the necessity of function, and whether they are linked.

Great Post.

Some good points here. I hit a couple of snags though.
You wrote:
“If someone can’t find something on a web site, it is the web designer’s fault.”

Well…more often than not, the most intuitive interface of links that should have been the perfect home page is instead a convoluted clump of menus created by a committee of company fiefdoms all vying for a place in the sun. The web designer can argue for a logical flow that any newbie could understand but, in the complex corporate world there is a Dilbert factor that can’t be underestimated. Don’t lay it on the web designer, dude. We’re trying to make them see the light, believe me.

You wrote:
“Design is not art”
wha wha wha? Great design communicates. From the ancient architects to Frank and Andrew, from Bach to Beck, from Flintstone to Ikea… This one could fill a library or two.

I’m not finished…you wrote:
“Design is not Art.
Art is about personal expression. It is about the life, the emotions, the thoughts and ideas of the artist. It matters very little what observers do, their activity is not required, only their appreciation. The practice of Art doesn’t require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist, and the artist alone.”

You need to go and participate (not as a spectator this time) at Burning Man.

You wrote:
“Great Design is Invisible.
An interesting property of great design is that it is taken for granted.”

Wha wha wha? The Taj Mahal, the Guggenheim, Coca Cola, Brooklyn Bridge, Chanel, Photoshop, Disney, Dreamworks … another branch of the library full of things that everybody notice and are constantly awestruck by.

You wrote:
“Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.
As Saint Exupery said, “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Well of course but say it like any web designer already does -

K.I.S.S.

or as Michelangelo said it earlier (and apparently Saint Exupery paraphrased),
“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”

Even though I can’t fully agree on the points you’ve made, I do am impressed with the stir you’ve caused by writing this article.

So keep up the good work

It’s worth adding that, in the end, a design is only as good as its implementation.

If the design keeps its simplicity it can be used for a very long time and can become “timeless” as you mentioned it for art.

I think its a great post. At the end of the day it reminds you that design is about use/usability and Art is about flair. Flair is a good thing that can allow you to connect with people emotionally but ultimately it should not get in the way of the use.

There is often beauty in simplicity. I often think things can be very elegant if they take the shortest route to a useful design. I love the quote in the post.

It’s about mindset, if you remember the user when designing you will have a more effective end result.

Great article! I’ll be subscribing from now on!

Great article. and great to see people discussing such an important and for me interesting topic.

I feel that anything done well is a form of art. Art to me is about communication and ultimately making people think.

Good design allows a more direct experience, or improves functionality or something like that.
Design may allow for human interaction, while art can hope to succeed in its own right as pure expression. Connecting to an audience can make an artist feel good, this is in itself an art

I dont know exactly how to get the right words out right now. I’ll have to come back!

I like others agree that design is not totally art but art does have a place and important role in design. Any designer should use art in some way to make the experience of the product (website, software etc) memorable and enjoyable. Otherwise they will not use it again. Art in design also lets the creator to place that interesting twist or trademark/ watermark etc.

BUT apart from that I agree 110% with what you have said. Great design is indeed invisible. The only comments you ever get about a website, is what is wrong with it and then a “Oh yeah great design” attached as an after thought…

Also agree about its the technology’s fault and not the users, although you can get some absolutely dumb users.

Great post (see all accolades are at end as an after thought) and I like others already commenting will now subscribe. Thanks again

Excellent. Great points!

Finaly! I can understand that art & design really are different. Great writing Josh!
Thanks

Design is Art! Or so I believe. It is not only about use. Also, great designs please the eye, and a well crafted website (or other pice of design) can help the use of it!

Design is Art:)))

Apart from that, I agree on all points:)

1. is music art?

2. great design is not invisible because we are so used to bad design, so when we see good design we notice how good it is.

If i’m designing a GUI, should i consider myself a graphic artist OR a graphic designer? Is graphic designer and graphic artist different?

Nice article, it makes me think. SO this article is a form of art(the art of writing), that strongly communicates.

@Jon
Music is absolutely art.

Joshua, I totally agree with your statement that design is not art.

Disclaimer: When I say “art” I mean fine art. Cezanne, Picasso, Brancusi, Rothko, Pollock, et al. When I say “design” I mean graphic design, illustration, typography, industrial design, and so on - this is a disctinction between “fine art” and “commercial art”.

There’s a reason art schools split the design students and the art students after the foundation year. Because they’re two very different disciplines.

As someone who went to art school with the full intention of being a fine artist (painter, to be precise) and later moved into web design (for money and because I loved it), the difference is staggeringly apparent.

Art is its own entity, it serves no purpose outside of itself beyond enriching human culture. Art is a lifelong intellectual and aesthetic process; fully and perpetually conscious of its place in history. Art is a continuous dialogue that spans human history. It exists as a basic human enterprise - it relies on nothing external (though it responds to and comments on the external).

Design, in general, is none of these things. Design does not serve its own purpose - it serves to visually communicate an effective message. A newspaper is designed for maximum balance between legibility and an spatial efficiency. Design is about planning and building, efficiency and elegance, signal and noise. For the most part, design is born out of commerce (no, that doesn’t make it inferior) and not cultural expression.

I visited the new MoMA in December (by the way, it’s fantastic, everyone should go there). Oddly enough, the IBM logo was not on exhibit. Neither the Cingular visual identity guidelines nor the McDonalds arches were on display! They have two “Painting” floors, but not one “Typographic Grid” floor. Strange; I mean, if design is art, surely great design deserves to be shown in art museums!

Sorry to be facetious.

The two do overlap on the most superficial level - aesthetics - and sometimes the line is further blurred (but that’s the exception rather than the rule). It’s true that blue and orange are complementary in both art and design. The basic principles of composition are the same. Pattern, repetition, contrast, tone, tint, value. These basic concepts reach across the spectrum.

Every time I see a graphic designer claim to be an artist, I always get the sense they’re trying to boost their own egos. Apparently, they feel more honor in the title “artist” than “designer”.

Which is absurd to me. It’s like saying there’s more honor in “doctor” versus “dentist”. Are designers, or architects, or musicians, or poets, or novelists, or flower arrangers, or interior decorators that insecure in their professions?

Sorry for the long rant. I’ve worked regularly with graphic designers who call themselves artists and have never taken a life drawing course. It irks me - one of my pet peeves. I don’t go around calling myself an artist because I make things look pretty all day.

I’m so sick of “the art of …”. Why can’t activities stand on their own? What’s so bad about writing that we need to change it to “the art of writing” in order to make it seem more grand? Isn’t writing pretty grand and powerful all on its own?

A loosely recalled anecdote: an artist (sculptor, primarily) was invited to a collaborative panel with a group of architects. They all introduced themselves as artists. The fine artist left saying, “Well, if you’re all artists, I don’t see why you invited me here.”

When every creative pursuit gets to be “art,” then the term art becomes essentially meaningless.

I really liked this list. The simplicity bits a lot.

If I had to synthetize it, I would say that you are advocating ego-freedom.

Interesting term, Mario. (ego-freedom)

Could you say more?

thanks for it

These are very good points, yet time and time again they are overlooked. I have seen too many sites that have become an artistic showcase at the expense of useability. It is true that the customer is always right, and people need to remember that.

Your Saint Exupery quote is incorrect. It’s commonly misquoted to suit a specific context.

“In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when
there is no longer anything to add, but when there
is no longer anything to take away.”
– Antonine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars

I point this out only becuase you’ve got literal quotes around it. It is a translation from the French:

“Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n’y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n’y a plus rien à retrancher.”
— Antoine de Saint Exupery

so there is some room for interpretation. You’ve inserted the words “A designer…” however, and the original quote makes no reference to a desiger at all.

Thanks Skot.

I was referencing this, but I’ve changed it to the more accurate version.

Actually, the last two points are my favorite.

Good design is actually very transparent. “Design” here is not talking about the graphics or visual design aspects. “Design,” as it is used here, refers to the ease-of-use and usability of the interaction the user has with the site or application. If done well, a “good” design will usually not be noticed by the user. Whereas a poor design usaully becomes very apparent. Now you, as the designer, may notice the differences between the old design and a new and improved; but to the user good design is rarely seen.

A proper interface (and system) should allow a user to complete a task by fitting it to the user’s mental model and task flow while allowing them to do it as smoothly and seemlessly as possible (with feedback, etc.). If this is done, then the design usually is and should go unnoticed.

And I do believe too that simple is better. K.I.S.S. is the best design philosophy to have even for “advanced” users. The advanced users also benefit if a design is for the lowest common denominator. What? If something isn’t simple and easy to use, an advanced user will not appreciate it? I think they will and do. I know I do. Simple, clean, and professional…

And understanding your user is the key to better designs.

“An interesting property of great design is that it is taken for granted. It works so well that we forget that creative effort was involved to bring it about. Sometimes, like with the lowly spoon, the object is so simplistic that it seems obvious, and we disregard that at one point in history it wasn’t.”

Yes, great observation.

It’s overwhelming to see something which doesn’t existed before a certain point and which’s existence became obvious and natural.

Excelente articulo, gracias por compartir y hacer crecer esta gran comunidad.

Alberto
programacion web españa
http://www.macroweb.ws

“Design is not Art” may be true in exclusive comparison, but you seem to think that Design can’t in any way be partly Art, and, excuse my laughter, but that’s just ignorant.

People who use designs are human. They have human aesthetics and human minds and human perceptions. The usability of any design is directly affected by the user’s holistic perception of the design, and that’s not limited solely to “It works well” like you seem to believe. It’s much more complex than that. We should realize that something can be beautiful and artistic and work well at the same time, and that a perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality in fact enhances the usability of any design, and that balance is what we should strive for as designers. It’s what I personally strive for anyway, you can do whatever you want.

ALSO, for god’s sake, don’t update the preview on every onChange event in this textarea — it’s slow and it annoys the heck out of me — set a timeout and update every 2 seconds or something.

Design is about joining idea, and then bring idea to reality and make it easy to understand in our brain

1. How to convert .tivo to AVI, MPEG?
2. How to convert .ty to AVI, MPEG?

I believe there is a misconception of the concepts of “design” and “art” from a few users here. I believe design does not encompass the look or style of a creation, but should be defining its purpose only. Take for example a spoon: it is designed to pick up and contain a substance, therefore its design is made of a handle (so we can use it without having to be in contact with the substance), and a little receptacle at the end of it (where the substance goes). In these terms a spoon is well designed when it meets these requirements, whether it is made of wood or solid gold.

Considering this, I guess, provides a whole new angle to the “Design is not Art” discussion. And in this respect I believe that Josh, you are absolutely right! Design is function, art is aesthetic: 2 different “attributes” of the frame. Coming back to post 42 by Jerome, I guess a frame without a picture can be good design. Provided it has all the requirements to allow for a picture to be fitted in, and probably to be hung on a wall, then the frame has been designed correctly. Add style to the frame (carvings, colours, texture) and the visual output of the frame can become art, while the design (in its simplest form, its implicit purpose) remains design.

To me design is the backbone of efficiency, and it is easy to be misguided nowadays especially when confronted with web design. I am more in favour of using look and style, or even image, to describe the aesthetic outcome of a web creation. Have a look at the Css Zen Garden. Throughout the different “designs” (which I believe should rightly be called looks or styles), the design remains the same. The structure in which each element of the page has a purpose and an importance to the whole, this is design. The way each element looks, should be dubbed something different, such as, again, look or style, and this is aesthetics.

I hoe this post isn’t too confusing! Wishing everyone a very good day

Josh– I guess great minds think alike. Or fools never differ, whichever one you prefer…

I recently posted about great design and invisibility on our blog:

http://blog.cleartrip.com/journal/2007/2/6/the-designers-dilemma.html

Anyway, loved your post.

WOW! I love this post.

4 of the 5 principles are exactly the same as my core principles or beliefs about design. Well, actually 4.75 (huh?)…I’ll explain, of course.

I was always taught that design should be transparent. I think we are both following the principle, I’ve just never heard the term invisible used to describe something you are intended to see (I’m being rather literal, I know).

I’ll add a fifth one because I took one away: Good design is usable design. Speaks for itself, I think. Thank you again!

I would love to see you tie this in to your later statement about IA, since it seems to me that the principles of information architecture would be a subset of these principles–basically design without the aesthetic concerns, right? Information is also an interesting place to draw a line between design and art. Art conveys emotion but doesn’t have to communicate information or ensure that the viewer “understands” it. Some art is even purposefully inscrutable. Design must always communicate.

Hey.. this article is nice. What is the difference between art and design?

The Definition of ART is:

Art is that which is made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind and or spirit. An artwork is normally assessed in quality by the amount of stimulation it brings about. The impact it has on people, the amount of people that can relate to it, the degree of their appreciation, and the effect or influence it has or has had in the past, all accumulate to the ‘degree of art.’ Most art that are widely considered to be “masterpieces” in possess these attributes.

Something is not considered ‘art’ when it stimulates only the senses, or only the mind, or when it has a different primary purpose than doing so.

The Definition of DESIGN is:

Design, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavors, is used both as a noun and a verb. As a verb, “to design” refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, or component. As a noun, “a design” is used for both the final (solution) plan (e.g. proposal, drawing, model, description) or the result of implementing that plan (e.g. object produced, result of the process). More recently, processes (in general) have also been treated as products of design, giving new meaning to the term “process design”.

Designing normally requires a designer considering aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object or process, which usually requires considerable research, thought, modeling, interactive adjustment, and re-design.

Great post Joshua.
I agree that great design is invisible.

I agree the views about design above,I believe they should be our principles required by our customers and our thoughts needed when we make designs!

Well, IMHO design isn’t that important… usability is. If design fulfills that purpose, then (and only then) it’s useful.

Mark

…content matters! I’m always seeing great content on pages from people with absolutely no design skills. Know what? It doesn’t matter…

-mint

Good points!
Although design is important for branding purpose too. It makes people remember your site. Google or Yahoo! logo design are very well know since they are so emphasized on the site. It’s all about the user experience which is build up of many aspects.

Design isn’t as important as some people would say. Look at Google: a blank page, a Logo and a search box… a billion dollar company.

Usability is number 1 everytime and it helps to have a great app or product too.

Yeap.. Design it isn’t art. But I think is very important, and what about graphic site?

@Forum Dyskusyjne:
graphic site is the diferent problem. Dont think so much

Excellent article thank you

@ alojamento web: Design isn’t as important as some people would say. Look at Google[..]

That’s is in my opinion a great example of a great design choice..!

“The Experience Belongs to the User.

Designers do not create experiences, they create artifacts to experience.”

This is right. Espciallity if we want to keep userability in mind.

Very good article

Excellent Article !

Good Article. I studied design at UC Davis and I wish they put it in as simple way as you have here. I believe design requires a certain amount of intuition and anticipation of the target audience you are designing for.

Good design is actually very transparent. “Design” here is not talking about the graphics or visual design aspects. “Design,” as it is used here, refers to the ease-of-use and usability of the interaction the user has with the site or application. If done well, a “good” design will usually not be noticed by the user. Whereas a poor design usaully becomes very apparent. Now you, as the designer, may notice the differences between the old design and a new and improved; but to the user good design is rarely seen.

By the way - the theorem »Design is Invisible« originates from Lucius Burckhart. Here is an excerpt from his essay that he wrote about it in 1980. And here’s a blog that deals with the invisibility of design.

design is supposed to solve a problem! I didn’t know that St Exupery said that quote though

Good design is actually very transparent

Design is Invisible

Design” here is not talking about the graphics or visual design aspects.

The Best and simplest design is the key to success. Even you consider this universe. It seems that God has best design you can ever think of. It is the beauty of God design which created universe from a point.

I DECISIVELY AGREE!

Great post!

Good article. I have to agree with you
For me simplicity is the key.

Design’s objective must be always the user.
Good points of view.

I have to say that I had clients which asked for an artistic approach. They wanted unique and innovative layouts. I had to find the balance between artistic and functional.

Design is not Art.
Art is about personal expression. It is about the life, the emotions, the thoughts and ideas of the artist. It matters very little what observers do, their activity is not required, only their appreciation. The practice of Art doesn’t require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist, and the artist alone.

That’s true, but you can pretty artsy designing a site and make it functional and useful too.

I think diffent. Design is art, but customer is always right =)

Great post thanks

Liver that’s totally right, design is always art.. customers just can’t see it… lol.

excelent articles
thanks

I don’t quite agree on that design is not art as design is the visual representation of your mind and creativity you possess as you thinking human being. But everything else, well written and informative.

I actually came here looking for thoughts about web design, since I’m currently trying to put together a site for a class I’m teaching this fall, but I’ve become really caught up in some of the discussions of art/ design that were started by the initial post and continued in the comments. There have been some really thoughtful responses. Just to add to the conversation, though, I had a thought about the relationship between the two. The rise of the internet has increasingly made design into a two way street. Once upon a time, a designer who was putting together something like an art gallery would certainly consider the opinion of those who would be “using” that gallery, both artists and visitors. However, there was not a great deal of instant feedback, the way there now is with web site designs. This instant feedback is beginning to color all aspects of our lives, such that any design is now much more subject to public opinion than it was before. One of the side-results of this shift is that, even in what might previously have been termed the “pure” arts, the feedback loop is getting stronger. Blog postings are increasingly having an impact on the direction television shows take. Fan fiction has arisen to fill in the cracks of plot points that writers left open in their original works. And some writers have begun experimenting with how to give the reader a larger role in constructing their works. So, one could almost say that “art” has begun to become more like “design.”

Excellent article thank you.

Design is only art, the customer will tell the right way to go, what he said is always right…

great article..

Design is not Art. I don’t think so.. When u are working in webdesign company, at creating design for client you are giving some expresions, something of you is at those projects. It’s not only a work or intrestings.

Intresting article. I agree that the details are more important than general visualisation.

Excelente article, but I disagree as seeing design as not an art. It is an art, the art of making something useful and beautiful, combining usability with aesthetics.

I enjoyed reading your article and you raised some really good points. I totally agree with you that design is not art. Art is timeless while design lives very short.

Design is Invisible

nice job..Bokardo is giving good tips of design. I have a lot of experience from my job but still I am reading his articles

I keep telling the same story to would-be bloggers.

Design is Invisible

Hi

I personally believe that design can be viewed as art. When we design - we create things, an ability to create/produce something unique, worthy - can be considered as art. Designer gives a part of his believes, ideas, thoughts to its “child” as you wish…

Design is not Art.Art is about personal expression. I personally believe that.I have a lot of experience from this articles.

In the attempt to solve this debate on design being an art or the other way around, I started to search through my dusty dictionary. First I looked at ART and in the bunch of definitions I didn’t see any statement that directly defines ART as DESIGN. Of course this is a very shallow argument, so here are some personal views:

Art lets you see the world. Design lets you change the world.

Art, in a way, hides something. Design reveals.

And when we talk about the people involved in these fields, it’s a fact that designers aren’t necessarily artists and artists aren’t necessarily designers.

In my optinion, design can be more personal expression than art… sometimes

Very more interesanter and informative topic. I as more web designer guess/advise to all this again in the Design the range pre-work.

1. Inspiration
2. own idea
3. new techniques use thereby comes also success…

thanks

This article is so good and I’ve translated this into Tranditional chinese in my blog. That’s a bit different from the translation attached below the original. Thanks for sharing this.

I have to say that I had clients which asked for an artistic approach. They wanted unique and innovative layouts. I had to find the balance between artistic and functional.

Design is not Art.Art is about personal expression. I personally believe that.I have a lot of experience from this articles.

In my optinion, design can be more personal expression than art… sometimes thanksss

The web design is a sensitive area. The functionality defines limits but knowing these we have enough freedom to be creative. Most clients are looking for original and unique layout designs. In such cases, creativity is an absolute must. Even an artistic touch can be helpful…