2019-2020 Society and Design IDS Bachelor Programme in Design

Lecture 1. Course review. Definition of design as a part of a human problem-solving

activity, with an outcome in form of a plan for, and the production of, a new artefact. Problem
Solving and Design.

Seminar 1. Seminar on Dieter Rams and his “10 Principles of Good Design” (archdaily.com,
2017). Introducing Leander Kahney’s 2013 book “Jony Ive. The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest
Products” (Kahney, 2013)

There are many definitions of Design. Design is conceiving and giving form to artefacts
that solve problems. Design process is the process of planning of an act towards a desired end.
Design is basic to all human activity. Design shapes our objects, environments, and
communications. Design is the core disciplines of architecture, fashion, graphic, interior,
product, and so on.

Cambridge Dictionary puts a very simple definition of Design:  to make or draw plans for
something, for example clothes or buildings. Contemporary authors Ralph and Wand recently
made a proposal for a formal definition of the design concept, stating that it is “ a specification of
an object, manifested by an agent, intended to accomplish goals, in a particular environment,
using a set of primitive components, satisfying a set of requirements, subject to constraints; ... to
create a design, in an environment (where the designer operates)”.

Today in the Internet you will find a great deal of various explanations of design acts such
as “to plan and make decisions about (something that is being built or created)”; “to create the
plans, drawings, etc., that show how (something) will be made”; “to plan and make (something)
for a specific use or purpose”; “to think of (something, such as a plan)”; “to plan (something) in
your mind”; “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan”; “to devise, contrive”;
“to conceive and plan out in the mind [he designed the perfect crime]”; “to have as a purpose,
intend [she designed to excel in her studies]; “to devise for a specific function or end [a book
designed primarily as a college textbook]”.

The archaic meaning of design is “to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name ”. This
comes from this word’s origins. The word design arrived into English language in 1350-1400’s,
and some linguists think that may be even as late as in the 1540’s: Middle English designen has
its origin in Latin dēsignāre which means “to mark out, choose, designate, appoint," from de-
"out"+ signare "to mark," from signum "a mark, sign" originally in English with the meaning now
attached to “designate” many modern uses of design are metaphoric extensions. The nouns
“designed; designing; design” 1580s, from Middle French desseign "purpose, project, design,"
from Italian disegno, from Latin designare "to mark out".

Design is related to any forms of human activity that are planned towards a desired end,
and all of them conceive and give form to artefacts that solve problems. Artefact is any product
of intentional creation, including physical goods, services, software, graphics, buildings,
landscapes, organizations, and processes.
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 Karl T. Ulrich, an American mechanical engineer who authored the most used textbook
on design, gives us a four-step model of Problem Solving and Design:

 Sense gap. Design begins with a perception of a gap in the user experience. Without a gap,
there is no motive for design. The gap may be perceived by users themselves or by observers.
 Define problem. In effect, problem definition is the creation by the designer of an
explanation of why the user experiences a gap. This diagnosis can be thought of as an identification
of user needs that are not being met in the current state and/or the recognition of criteria for a
high-quality solution. Problem definition is implicit in many design efforts, particularly when users
are themselves designers, but is generally an explicit part of professional design efforts, expressed in
the form of a design brief, customer needs list, or other document.
 Explore alternatives. Given a problem, designers almost always explore alternatives.
 Select plan. Exploration typically exposes more than one solution, so design requires some
sort of evaluation and selection from among alternatives. Some designers consider many
alternatives simultaneously when selecting a plan. Others articulate, evaluate, and refine plans
iteratively and select the first plan that is good enough.

The hallmark of design problems is that the designer creates a plan for a new artefact in
response to a gap. A central feature of design problem solving is the exploration of alternatives.

Who is the best to explore alternatives? The Designer. He conceives an idea, tests it, gives
it a try, and makes hand-drawn sketches to take the idea through critical stages to the final
results. And who will explore better than another big name in design - and in practice of design
bigger than Ulrich who is a great teacher but we are now talking about one of the greats of the
design profession - Dieter Rams, the German industrial designer, a famous practitioner.

Some years ago he came up with his Ten Principles of Good Design. Here are Dieter Rams’
Ten Principles of “Good Design”:

Good Design Is Innovative: The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means,
exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative
design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can
never be an end in itself.

Good Design Makes a Product Useful: A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy
certain criteria, not only functional but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design
emphasizes the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract
from it.

Good Design Is Aesthetic: The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness
because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only
well-executed objects can be beautiful.

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 Good Design Makes A Product Understandable: It clarifies the product’s structure. Better
still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At
best, it is self-explanatory.

Good Design Is Unobtrusive: Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither
decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and
restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

Good Design Is Honest: It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable
than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be
kept

Good Design Is Long-lasting : It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears
antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

Good Design Is Thorough Down to the Last Detail: Nothing must be arbitrary or left to
chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Good Design Is Environmentally Friendly: Design makes an important contribution to the

preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual
pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Good Design Is as Little Design as Possible: Less, but better – because it concentrates on

the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity,
back to simplicity.

And now to the Leander Kahney’s book “Jony Ive. The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest
Products”…

Literature:

1. Ulrich, Karl T. DESIGN. Creation of Artifacts in Society. University of Pennsylvania, 2005-2011, ISBN 978-
0-9836487-0-3
2. Kahney, Leander. 2013. Jony Ive. The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products ISBN 978-1-101-61484-6