What is good design?

For centuries, there is nobody who can actually define specifically what is design, especially when defining a word is somewhat difficult. Moreover, everyone has a different, and sometimes vague definition of design. It is because everybody has different personal views. All I can say is, design is a mystery. Designers are not here to tell you what is design; they design things to express what design is. Each masterpiece is something, whether its a cultural thing, ethical thing or political thing, it has its own meaning. That’s design.

So what is good design? 
As I said, everyone has different point of view on each product, each design and even on any matter. There could be good or bad also there's certainly like or dislike. When I say "good design", it could mean the majority of people who likes it (ie. Apple products). It could too be a personal liking, which doesn't mean that I have to like it. For instants, I know MUJI is a very good design company, which has a minimalism approach to their brand’s product and undoubtedly, most of my friends do adore it very much. However, that doesn't mean I have to like it and for not liking it NOT because of its expensive price! It is because of some other reasons at a designer's perspective point of view. Although we are in the minimalism trend throughout this century, but that’s the difference between likeness n goodness of design. Another example, 
I love this chair for some reason. It is called the Red Blue Chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. Conversely, it might not be a "good" design from most of other people's view
. As it is not the most comfortable chair you can get, 
but it has its own stories, its own ethos behind the designing and the making of the chair. Therefore at certain perspective, one product could be a good AND bad design.





I’m here only to express myself. This is only my own opinion and may not be true statements. Since different people got different views, if anybody read this and felt strongly disagree please don’t be annoyed.

Contradictory

As a general consumer, I love iPhone so much. It's got so much apps to help you with every bits! But as a product designer, sometimes I just think, its quite annoying! It is just taking all the possible market opportunities in other products as it's "a gift of just about everything"! However, on the positive point of view, its a challenge! So I guess I should start focusing on designing products which could beat the iPhone and stop complaining because it's a great product after all :P

The fucking word of the day...

Something which aids me with motivation with innovation.

http://thefuckingwordoftheday.com/

You better watch out, you better not cry

Apple ethos

Apple, [in contrast to Microsoft], is the industry’s architect. It understands what people want, generally, but it fuses those requirements with its own sense of design and direction. Its approach reminds me of a Chicago DJ my wife once described to me who, instead of playing requests that people said they wanted, would play what he deemed they needed to hear.

From Switched On: The contractor and the architect by Ross Rubin

Mistakes, and learnt

As a part of a designer's life and my life, I have to write this down to remind myself in the future to stay away from this again.

Today, I made a relatively huge mistake. I realized how bad it felt especially it is about ethical rights. I know after all my mates would forgive me since they think it wasn't such a big deal.

But to myself, I felt that I have let the whole team down. I knew I should be doing something stupid like this and especially as a designer + photographer, shouldn't do anything silly like that. It's about the professionalism, which I felt I didn't take the task seriously. Only thing I could do is to learn from this mistake and tell myself, I will never do it again and I shouldn't blame on the workload or anything.

Now, I guess people would just have a bad impression of me and hopefully I could do something to overcomes the doubting.

My CV

My Latest CV

The story of two salesmen...

Once upon a time, there were two salesmen who ended up on an island. This island has full of people who do not wear shoes.

One of the salesmen said, "Oh no! Those people never wear shoes! We won't be able to survive on this island!"

The other salesman is optimistic and said, "Look! Since they never wear shoes, we have got a massive market out there!"

Sometimes, as designers or as living our lives, we've got to be optimistic, get our heads up and work on the problem and we would find the solution for it! :)

Quote from Mr. Henry Ford

 Today my tutor referred me to a quote. A quote from Henry Ford, the one of the greatest person in automotive industry.

Henry Ford quoted “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

The danger of this kind of comment and the quote from Henry Ford is that it perpetuates the myth that innovation is somehow uninvolved or disassociated with customers. In these models, you’re supposed to be somehow smarter than your customers, swoop down, and save the day.

Instead, I think that innovation occurs from a deep understanding of your customers—their problems, their needs, expressed or unexpressed. Suppose that Henry had asked a customer “What do you want” and the customer has answered “I want a faster horse”. I’m willing to bet that Henry, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, would have explored this a bit further, perhaps using the 5-Why’s approach to root cause analysis.

Henry: “Why do you want a faster horse?”
Customer: “So I can get to the store in less time.”
Henry: “Why do you want to get to the store faster?”
Customer: “So I can get more work done at the farm.”

Oh. So the customer didn’t want a faster horse. And you didn’t even need five questions to find out what they did want. They wanted to get more work done. And presumably the car that Henry created provided that benefit.

Net? Don’t let pithy quotes let you fool yourself into thinking that you don’t have to understand your customers. You do. It is a matter of how to get from A to B question again.

Precious Time

Time has always the essence for a designer.

Rushing is not.

I shall learn managing my time wisely, turning this weak point as to my strength.

Common Taste

Marcus Orton, an innovation director who currently works in a company located very closely to my university where I study. He was invited for a career presentation and I found that he is a stunning guy with the prefect career which I have always dreamt about.


He studying art in foundation but the reason how he went into design was because of a design hero and also the one which I adore, Ettore Sottsass.

Ettore Sottsass at the retrospective held in his honor at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2006.Published: January 1, 2008

By ROBIN J. POGREBIN

"Ettore Sottsass, an éminence grise of postmodern design who helped found the influential Memphis Group and was responsible for the familiar bright red plastic Olivetti typewriter."

(http://www.nytimes.com)

He, perhaps is one of the most respectable guys which has always been in my mind for. And, perhaps he is my design hero of all time.

“Every color has a history. Red is the color of the Communist flag, the color that makes a surgeon move faster and the color of passion.” Ettore Sottsass - my design hero of all time

Process of Learning

Turning to be a designer, there's no easy task. In order to success, substantial amount of time and effort is required. Learning through the process of working is my way of achieving the goal, perhaps.

Learning the use of Designing tools.
Soft Systems
Kansei Engineering

Greatness in design

Design is a process which implemented across the globe. It is such important aspect for improving people's everyday life in many ways. From pre-historics to modern 21st century, design existed invisibly and since then, it has been more recognizable than ever and also has become a fast growing trend in some modern products.

"Design to enhance man's life, and I lived to design"