The Philosophy of Design: A Personal Reflection

Design Philosophy—A Personal Reflection

When asked if I could depict or describe the “philosophy of design,” I am slightly distraught. The philosophy or philosophies are infinite and specifically personal to each individual and client. I have done my research; talked to many fellow designers and design educators, and they were equally concerned on the ability to convey these ideas, understanding the broadness of these concepts. I suppose I could quote the great Paul Rand and say “Specifically, a graphic designer is one who creates ideas that are expressed in words and/or pictures, and generally solves problems of visual communication.” Or, I could rattle off some generalized definition of design as in the Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Design and Graphic Designers: “A generic term for the activity of combining typography, illustration, photography and printing for purposes of persuasion, information or instruction.”

But that really wouldn’t do any more than increase the confusion of the interested party; and instill the already vague ideas that society has of design. It would be too generalized, and would not illustrate the true philosophy of design as I know it, professionally, intellectually, and personally. It is my hope to convey a more definitive idea that has developed from my many years of learning, designing, problem solving, client interaction, successes, and educating; my experiences have taught me more.

As an educator at the university level, one of the first projects I give to my students is to type a one-page paper on what graphic design means to them. I want to know specifically why they are pursuing the study of design and what career they see for themselves in the future. With this I have received many various answers. Although these are “beginning” design students, many responses are very similar to the aforementioned Paul Rand, and/or the Thames and Hudson generalized definitions. However, there were many similarities that really do start to tell the truths and philosophies of what design is: the act of creating a visual form of communication to express a particular client’s needs, and, using even the simplest of design elements to convey a related message. This is the basis of my understanding of design and its effects on society as we know it.

We must recognize that most material is not well designed. We can look at the average signage in any shopping mall, (particularly in the Ozarks), open the newspaper or any specialized journal and look at the ads and layouts, look at the advertising junk-mail you receive, or walk down the aisles of any supermarket. Although this can be a depressing experience, it also shows us the job that needs to be done. It is the designers job to not only communicate the particular client’s needs, but to convey the message in a way that has utilized “good” design characteristics: concept, line, shape, contrast, form, symbolism, creativeness and composition are a few. Paul Rand also says “That just because it communicates, it may be communicating the wrong thing.”

Robert Charles Smith, of the Washington University of St. Louis says, “Every designer should also be an educator by producing work with the highest graphic standards possible, and showing clients that good design is good business. It gets noticed, it really is cost-effective, and it can give everyone pride in their products and services.”

But first we must know what good design really is. Most people do not realize why they like a well designed logo, layout, or signage, they just do because it was well thought out and pays attention to the clients message; utilizing the basic principles of design mentioned above. As designers, the good stuff is easy to see, but the bad is much more readily available; surrounding us in our daily lives; infuriating my design-educated brain to the extent of me boycotting businesses that display poor design ideals, and exclaiming to whomever will listen my views of just how bad it is. Although it is frustrating, this is a solvable problem.

It is my job, as well as every other designer working today, to change the minds of the clients who use these “poor” qualities to convey their message; we must stand together and fight the “phone-number-bigger,” “make the type as large as possible,” client antics; we can rebuild their philosophies. Today is a good day to teach, to lead, and to illustrate what it takes to make a successful run at changing the world “one-good-design-at-a-time.” The journey will be difficult; however, not without just reward. Good design, communicating the best ideals, and solving the particular client’s needs will be our true prize—together, we can prevail—changing the face of communication forever.

Tom Mezzacapa Designer & Design Instructor