Design is the art of designing something by bringing together different artistic, technical, economical, sociological, and political elements and combining them into a new form. Designing is a systematic process and may be conscious or unconscious. Design is used to express ideas, usually by using words such as form, structure, function, light, volume, location, composition, and color. A design is generally a detailed blueprint or plan for the arrangement of an actual object or system at a specified location or for the execution of some activity or procedure, or the outcome of this plan or blueprint in the form of a finished product, example, tool, garment, machine, etc.
Designing helps us to visualize our ideas. Designing has a deep meaning in that it involves the combination of knowledge, skill, creative instinct, knowledge of human culture and communication skill. There are many books and articles on the art of designing which help us in getting clear ideas about how we can use our resources (time, money, talent and energy) to make things beautiful. The meaning of the word “design” can mean the same thing as beauty, ingenuity, originality, and beauty.
Designers can either be artists or designers. Artists specialize in making things beautiful, and designers specialize in coming up with solutions for problems. Many people think that the jobs of designer and artist are the same, but this is not true. While an artist specializes in putting together the aesthetic components of a work of art, a designer builds the user experience of the product or service, and both must be in sync with each other.
Artistic designers are involved in conceptualizing, designing and drawing a work of art. This work must have a deep meaning which is communicated through its contents, and its message must be delivered convincingly and explicitly. On the other hand, designers must put together a group of people who will deliver the application (the technology, applications, systems, etc.)
The examples given above show that each of these forms of designing has different objectives, and they require different skill sets. Their goals must also be understood clearly, so that the designers can have a clear vision of what they are trying to achieve. The deep meaning of a website, a piece of software, or an advertisement must be clear to the designer, the developer, and even to the people who are going to see the results of their efforts. A good designer will have to keep in mind that he/she is not creating a work of art, but delivering a solution to a user’s need. An excellent designer understands the relationship between aesthetics and usability, and can use both of these principals in his/her solutions. They should be able to build a functional website that meets the needs of its users, without having to resort to making it look “beautiful”.
When we consider the eleven examples given above, it becomes clearer how designers need to pay attention to the quality of their inputs and how they need to think about their goals before they begin designing a website or a product. The examples also demonstrate the inter-relationship between the various principles of design thinking. This leads us to the next principle: Designing must be relevant. The relevantness of a piece of software, a website, an advertisement, or a social media profile depends on the purpose of each particular piece. The examples given above all illustrate how designers should think about their outputs and the quality of their inputs.