A good design is focused. A good design is effective and efficient in fulfilling its purpose. It relies on as few external factors and inputs as possible, and these are easy to measure and manipulate to achieve an expected other output. A good design is always the simplest possible working solution.
“An honest design communicates solely the functions and values it offers. It does not attempt to manipulate buyers and users with promises it cannot keep.” Dieter Rams
To me, good design needs a strong element of functionality. You may argue that the function is to stun or dazzle someone, but to me, it also has to have a hint of practicality. This goes for everything I design. Be it a dress or a kitchen. Without function, what remains? It may beautiful to look at, but if you are the user of that object, you will fast grow tired and get annoyed by it. Imagine a dress with a big, fat bow on its back. How will you be able to sit through that gala dinner and be comfortable? What if all the kitchen drawers keep popping out when you’re trying to chop an onion?
What I like to do when I design something, I always start thinking about how the object, or room, or home will be used in the end. For example, is this a kitchen for people who like to cook, or simply a showpiece? In that case, one may opt for a smaller kitchen, with a fully functional professional kitchen hidden in the back for those catered dinners.
An example of a both good and functional design is Thomas Heatherwick’s $150M climbable Hudson Yards sculpture ‘The Vessel’ For more information about this incredible project, click here.
