As noted on the previous page, design is a discipline that can be applied to a variety of industries and occupations. Landscape architecture, automobile manufacturing, interior design, and consumer electronics are just a few examples of industries whose products and services are influenced heavily by the basic tenets of design.
My primary area of specialty is the world of graphic design. As implied by the name, graphic design involves the creation of visual media. This can be in the form of a Web site, a business card, a poster, a book, or a whole host of other graphical works. Because graphic design is visual in nature, it often leads people to the conclusion that graphic design is art. As a result, all graphic designers are artists, and the world of graphic design is all about "making things pretty."
In my opinion, this couldn't be further from the truth.
I admit to and embrace the fact that graphic design has a large artistic and emotional component to it. In fact, the choice of photograph, illustration, or color can make or break a given piece. However, I think that design is much more than just a pretty face. Instead, I believe that the word "design" is interchangeable with another: engineering. To me, design is more than just looking good, it's about being good. Design is about functionality. Great design has a purpose, and it works to achieve a goal.
Apply this thinking to the computer mouse you are using right now. Someone engineered and designed that mouse. Go ahead, take a look at it. How does your mouse look? Is it sleek and "sexy," or rather bland in appearance? Now, think about how it makes your hand feel when you use it. Does it fit effortlessly into the palm of your hand, or does its shape make your fingers cramp up?
At the end of the day, what matters most is the function of your mouse. It could be the ugliest mouse ever, but as long as its ergonomics are correct and your hand is comfortable, the designer of that mouse has done their job. If your mouse looks great but has given you carpal tunnel syndrome, then that designer has failed.
This same philosophy applies to all facets of graphic design. Does a Web site have an intuitive interface, or do you have to guess where to click? Are the words in a book easy to read, or do you have a hard time comprehending the text because the lines of type are set too close together?
In the end, good graphic design must perform a function, and that function is to facilitate communication. It is for this reason that I tend to refer to my specialty as graphic communication rather than graphic design. Quite simply, graphic communication is not art. Form should never be put above function. Instead, they should walk hand-in-hand with function leading the way. I strive to apply this philosophy in everything I do.
