Design is a Waste of Space
By Jeff Cochrane
Design is a waste of space! We as designers need to cull a large number of our darlings! What exactly does design do? It creates useless objects that go about cluttering the world. Design is a waste of space. So many designs lack the extra depth, that is vital to be considered great. These designs are just like babies crawling down the street. Not really sure where they are going or what they are doing, just there to be there. Design by itself is nothing with out theory.
What is Theory? Theory is the glue that holds great designs together. Theory is like the mud in the Great Wall of China, the bolts in the Eiffel Tower, the cheese on a great cheese lover’s pizza, all very essential to a great design. Theory in design is very much the opposite of the baby crawling down the street. It is more like an elderly person, full to the brim with memories and experiences. They know what it is like to love, to lose or to live. They are the true gems of our society, and not just because their grey hair sparkles under lights or the way they enjoy the country side much more than the rest of us as they are driving so slow that they see it all. They provide the base of great design, a guiding light for the rest of us. Theory enriches design.
In a disposable society that we live in today, theory is a pillar that remains unchanged and strong. People are sick of looking at things that are just what they appear to be. To be taken at face value only. People want more out of their designs! Designs that benefit both the designer and the consumer. In the book “Emotionally durable design” Jonathan Chapman states the theory of “Sustainability through complexity”. Great designs stay alive by the complexity of a design that continues to reveal itself to the consumer. The many layers that the design has keeps the consumer interested. But as soon as the consumer mines their way to the core / bottom of the design it is thrown out and a new design is brought or consumed. This is what theory brings to design, complexity and sustainability.
But how do designers design for complexity and sustainability. It’s a matter of looking around and finding what is right in front of their eyes. Personality in design has huge potential. It is virtually an untapped recourse. Designing for personalities is always going to be a challenge. Personality changes and is never the same. Personality is a part of every design, whether the designer knows it or not. It is the hidden tapestry in design and in every designers work. They cannot escape or evade it. Personality invades them. The question to the designer is how to best use the massive potential of personality. Even in the smallest common denominators personality thrives. Digital, physical, numbers or drawings all contain personality.
Design is taking an area of “Grey” and turning it into something worth being experienced and absorbed. We are the creative warriors, fighting a never-ending battle with “The Grey”! A never-ending battle with monotone in a bland world of boredom. We combat “The Grey” by asking questions. Questions about the way things are, the way things where, and the way things will become. Design is different and diverse. Designers are different and diverse, and so we should be. If we weren't “The Grey” would win.
“The Grey” is strong in this world and some designer’s work to further “the Grey”. But with theory, true designers can win. “I don’t design with theory in mind. I create theories with my hands. I sculpt and create theories within my work.” Bland designs clutter the world, a complete waste of space. With the knowledge base of the elderly, and the flair of the creative warriors, potentials like personality, sustainability and complexity, “the Grey“ has no chance.
By Jeff Cochrane
Design is a waste of space! We as designers need to cull a large number of our darlings! What exactly does design do? It creates useless objects that go about cluttering the world. Design is a waste of space. So many designs lack the extra depth, that is vital to be considered great. These designs are just like babies crawling down the street. Not really sure where they are going or what they are doing, just there to be there. Design by itself is nothing with out theory.
What is Theory? Theory is the glue that holds great designs together. Theory is like the mud in the Great Wall of China, the bolts in the Eiffel Tower, the cheese on a great cheese lover’s pizza, all very essential to a great design. Theory in design is very much the opposite of the baby crawling down the street. It is more like an elderly person, full to the brim with memories and experiences. They know what it is like to love, to lose or to live. They are the true gems of our society, and not just because their grey hair sparkles under lights or the way they enjoy the country side much more than the rest of us as they are driving so slow that they see it all. They provide the base of great design, a guiding light for the rest of us. Theory enriches design.
In a disposable society that we live in today, theory is a pillar that remains unchanged and strong. People are sick of looking at things that are just what they appear to be. To be taken at face value only. People want more out of their designs! Designs that benefit both the designer and the consumer. In the book “Emotionally durable design” Jonathan Chapman states the theory of “Sustainability through complexity”. Great designs stay alive by the complexity of a design that continues to reveal itself to the consumer. The many layers that the design has keeps the consumer interested. But as soon as the consumer mines their way to the core / bottom of the design it is thrown out and a new design is brought or consumed. This is what theory brings to design, complexity and sustainability.
But how do designers design for complexity and sustainability. It’s a matter of looking around and finding what is right in front of their eyes. Personality in design has huge potential. It is virtually an untapped recourse. Designing for personalities is always going to be a challenge. Personality changes and is never the same. Personality is a part of every design, whether the designer knows it or not. It is the hidden tapestry in design and in every designers work. They cannot escape or evade it. Personality invades them. The question to the designer is how to best use the massive potential of personality. Even in the smallest common denominators personality thrives. Digital, physical, numbers or drawings all contain personality.
Design is taking an area of “Grey” and turning it into something worth being experienced and absorbed. We are the creative warriors, fighting a never-ending battle with “The Grey”! A never-ending battle with monotone in a bland world of boredom. We combat “The Grey” by asking questions. Questions about the way things are, the way things where, and the way things will become. Design is different and diverse. Designers are different and diverse, and so we should be. If we weren't “The Grey” would win.
“The Grey” is strong in this world and some designer’s work to further “the Grey”. But with theory, true designers can win. “I don’t design with theory in mind. I create theories with my hands. I sculpt and create theories within my work.” Bland designs clutter the world, a complete waste of space. With the knowledge base of the elderly, and the flair of the creative warriors, potentials like personality, sustainability and complexity, “the Grey“ has no chance.
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