You are currently browsing the Ben’s blog weblog archives for December, 2006.
Designing with pencils and paper
December 22, 2006
I refer to myself as a designer but day in day out I find myself doing less of what most people would consider design. Nowadays most of the design I do is with lead pencils and scrap pieces of A4 or even with a word processor.
“But isn’t design about presentation?”
It sure is! But its also much more than that. For instance, when someone designs a toaster they don’t just consider how it will look on your bench top. They have to:
- Ensure it can withstand large amounts of heat without melting.
- Make sure it does not pop up too fast and throw your toasty friends onto the floor. Butter side down of course!
- Think about how the toaster can be cleaned easily and safely.
- Meet design and safety standards in whichever country the toaster will be sold in.
- Be able to source the materials and manufacture them at a reasonable price.
The above points are problems that need solutions and therefore design at a pure level. Most of this happens before Photoshop is opened.
So next time someone tells you they are a Designer or are studying Design what they actually do might surprise you.