Principles

This page documents design and work principles we strive to follow. It is a living document and we will update it as our thinking evolves over time.

None of the statements should be taken as unmovable assertions about what is true with respect to product design. These questions and statements should rather be seen as pragmatic tools for getting the most out of the design process.

1. Product design is not fashion.

Do not seek to implement techniques or aesthetics that only make sense within a narrow time window. Create products that will make sense decades from now.

2. All products have an innate ideal design for a given purpose and target user.

As designers it is our job to try to discover this ideal design. Depending on the technology and social structure of our time the ideal will change. This is why it is useful to at times re-evaluate tried and true products from a first principles perspective.

3. Ask yourself when evaluating a design decision is: does this make sense?

Does it make sense with respect to the targeted user, the components used, the requirements set? This is a very different question than asking if person X will like it.

4. If a design is sub par in a low resolution format, adding more detail will not improve it.

Do not fool yourself into believing that the design concept you have will become great later on.

A design that looks bad as a doodle, will not improve by being turned into a detailed sketch. A design that looks bad as a sketch, will not make for a good 3D model. A 3D model that looks boring, will not be improved by adding fillets. Looking objectively at what you have right now will save you a lot of time.

Disagree with something? Great! As stated in the beginning these principles are not meant as unmovable truths.

Send me your thoughts to tony@dedesigned.com

Kind regards,

Tony