I think that perhaps a better question might be “How do you plan FOR great design and how does this impact the DELIVERY of your greater vision?”.
First of all, one needs to define “Great Design”, and I would argue the necessity for being far more specific. Great design in what? Games design? Garment Design? XYZ design…?
There are however a few pointers that I feel “generically” fit all occasions.
Great design not only solves problems, but it does so in elegant and unexpected ways.
Great design more often than not challenges the status quo and entrenched systems
Great design has an opinion and tries hard to NOT cater to everyone
Great design has an attention to detail
Scouring the web whilst researching this question turned up a quote that resonated with me;
“Great design understands that the average layperson can’t always articulate solutions — they only know they have a problem. It’s up to the designer, who lives at the intersection of technology and the creative arts, to come up with new ways of solving that problem. The designer can make unexpected connections between subjects and solve the problem in new ways.”
How does this all help with the delivery of your vision?
Follow the guidelines below and you will stand a better chance of delivering a better, more thought out and realised design, faster and more efficiently than if you don’t.
However, great design can’t just be turned on or off like a switch. Just like getting into “flow” isn’t achievable with the click of the fingers.
However, one can significantly increase the odds to be in their favour.
Firstly, make sure your wellbeing is taken care of. You wouldn’t attempt to do any performance type of activity if you were preverbally (or even literally) hanging – so attempting PERFORMANCE design while sub-par will produce sub-par results
Make sure you are CONFIDENT and well prepared for the task at hand – as much as possible. Confidence in the task at hand will definitely aid you achieving better design than if you are questioning yourself every few minuets
Avoid distractions for the biggest blocks of time as possible. No email, no socials, no notifications, no office chats. Less here is DEFINITELY more.
This is not to say that great design can’t happen otherwise… it just means it’s LESS likely to happen than if you prepare for it. (Image © Jenny Lee)
