Design involves planning and creating visual communications to identify, inform, instruct, and promote ideas for specific purposes. It is a process of taming complexity, solving ill-defined problems, and devising courses of action to change existing situations into preferred ones for people. Good design is the most advanced yet acceptable solution according to the needs of users.

1. QUESTION
What is
design?

2. GRAPHIC DESIGN
term coined
c. 1922 by
W.A.
Dwiggins

3. A BETTER NAME
Visual
Communications
Design

4. PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
U Identify
U Inform + Instruct
U Present + Promote

5. Design (noun) = product
U a sketch or outline
U a pattern or arrangement
U a creation

6. To design (verb) = process
U to plan
U to guide toward
a specific purpose
U to iterate (all design is
re-design)

7. DESIGN IS
“...taming the
complexity of
the content.”
—Richard Buchannan

8. DESIGN IS
1. Making stuff...
2. for people who are
not you.

9. DESIGN IS
that which
cannot be
automated.

10. DESIGN IS
Solving
ill-defined
problems.

12. “Everyone designs
who devises courses of
action aimed at changing
existing situations into
preferred ones.”
—Herbert Simon

13. “Don’t try to be original,
try to be good. Being
good is damn difficult.”
—Paul Rand

14. Raymond Loewy

16. MAYA PRINCIPLE
Most
Advanced
Yet
Acceptable

17. WHY DESIGN?
Design
is for
people.

18. HOMEWORK
Become
a better
observer.