What is Design?

Design is everywhere.

Take a look around you. Whether it's the chair you're sitting on, the clothes you wear, the phone or laptop from which you're reading this post, the cup of coffee you drink in the morning, the house you live in, and everything not made by nature was designed.

But what is design exactly?

Design is a deliberate process of envisioning and planning to create objects, interactive systems, structures, and more. It is a user-centered approach that revolves around finding solutions to solve a problem or address a need. Design is always intentional and requires a thinking agent's involvement to create something functional and aesthetically pleasing. 

Design is not just about creating beautiful objects. It's a process that aims to enhance the user experience by making it seamless and natural. Good design is easy to use, intuitive, and efficient. Designers achieve this by conducting research, testing prototypes, and iterating until they arrive at the best possible solution. In the 1970s, Dieter Rams, a designer, established ten principles of "good" design. According to Rams, "good design":

1. Is innovative - The development of technology constantly provides new opportunities for imaginative design. However, such design must continuously evolve in parallel with technological progress rather than being an end in itself.

2. Makes a product useful - People buy products to use them. Good design not only satisfies functional criteria but also psychological and aesthetic ones. It emphasizes a product's usefulness while ignoring anything that could detract from it.

3. Is aesthetic - The aesthetic quality of a product is an essential aspect of its usefulness, as it affects people's daily lives and well-being.

4. Makes a product understandable - The goal should be self-evident, using the user's natural intuition instead of relying on complex instruction manuals.

5. Is unobtrusive - Products that fulfill a purpose are like tools. They are neither ornaments nor works of art. The design should be neutral and restrained, allowing for user self-expression.

6. Is honest - Design should not falsely claim to be more special or original than it is.

7. Is long lasting - the design avoids fashion trends and therefore never looks outdated and lasts for many years.

8. Is thorough down to the last detail - It is essential to avoid arbitrary decisions and ensure that everything is carefully and accurately designed to show respect towards the consumer.

9. Is environmentally friendly - Saves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the product's life cycle.

10. Is as little design as possible – Design should be simple, but not simpler. It should enhance the essential functions of a product.