successful design can be attributed to many known truths. here is some that i believe.

• Everything in life is ephemeral, don’t expect anything you design to live forever.
• Use technology, don’t let it use you.
• Be aware of what you make and what it says, because people live and die through all of the images we create.
• We need more teamwork.
• Have your cake and eat it too; participate in design “research.”
• Have a backup plan.
• Designers are not monkeys, they do not merely articulate.
• New ideas are made every single day; unless you repeat yourself, it’s new. Don’t worry about whether or not the person next to you is doing it, or will do it.
• Trust no one. No matter how original your idea seems, somebody else is looking to do it better, and probably cheaper.
• Keep your enemies close.

• Media allegiance spells limitation. Think first, then choose what tools to use.
• There’s nothing wrong with design that looks like art.
• There’s nothing wrong with art that looks like design.
• Think holistically.
• Work in a style that maximizes your performance and well being.
• Appreciate your audiences’ needs and team members’ skills.
• Establish objectives prior to form.
• Brainstorm. Fail frequently. Enjoy the element of play.
• There are no truisms.
• A connoisseur of design is not a designer.
• Design history is not a chronicle of style; you cannot truly critique design unless you fully understand its history.
• Ideology, thought, and agenda are as important as aesthetics.
• Design without ego.
• Statements like “Designers Don’t Think” are short-sighted at best.
• There is always more than one solution.
• There will always be revisions.
• The entire process of design is its essence. Without process, we are left with merely style and solutions.
• Aesthetic biases are and are not the purest form of design.

Filed under: Design