As I write this Full Code Press is taking place in Sydney. The Woman of Words is participating for the Australian team as copywriter/editor.

You can check out the progresss on Flickr and YouTube.

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.