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What is Design?
4:55In this video we will learn what design is and what Design Foundations is all about.
[Design Foundations with Mat Helme]
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[Introduction to Design Deep Dive]
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Hey! I'm Matt Helme, and welcome to Design Foundations.
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Whether you're aware of it or not, design is all around us.
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The word design can mean many things to many people.
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Let's start off by breaking down the word design.
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Design is a noun meaning the creation or construction of an object or a system.
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It can be referred to as a verb meaning the act of design or designing—actually performing the task.
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Because the term is used and defined so loosely,
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we usually specify the type of design by the medium or process in which one designs for.
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Examples of this are fashion designers, print designers, web designers, and so on.
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More importantly, a designer is a problem solver.
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He or she performs sequential tasks to solve a pre-determined problem.
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This might be creating a specific uniform for a soldier or designing a package for a product.
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The process may be different, but the approach is always the same—
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to solve the problem at hand.
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The soldier might need a more camouflaged pattern for a specific environment.
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The designer then creates that pattern to their best ability, thus executing the problem at hand.
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The package designer might have to design a waterproof package
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that can withstand a certain weight limit but, also, stays within a certain budget for the client.
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In this case, the client has presented the problem,
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and the designer must solve that problem to their best ability.
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The history of design dates back to the prehistoric ages.
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Early man designed tools to help complete tasks easier.
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This might have been weapons or cooking utensils.
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Now did they know they were designing at the time?
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No.
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They were simply creating solutions for their problems;
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then improving on those designs.
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Maybe the weapons originally created were dull and not very effective,
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so then they went back to the drawing board and designed sharper tools.
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Now we understand that design is a thing and the act of doing that thing in a processed order.
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Let's talk briefly about what design isn't.
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An artist is not a designer.
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However, they have very similar traits.
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See, an artist is someone who creates for themselves from an emotional context.
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Art is meant to spark questions or portray answers.
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Art usually has different meanings for others.
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Art has meaning and is rarely usable.
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On the other hand, design is aimed to be understood by all.
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Design is the communication of a specific message.
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Good design will motivate someone to do a specific something.
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Design is planned and has a specific audience.
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Even though most of these could be argued in one way or the other,
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they both are slightly different.
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Think of it as a rectangle and a square.
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A square can be a rectangle,
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but a rectangle can't always be a square.
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In our case, design can be art,
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but art can't be design.
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They are similar forms but not the same.
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This course is geared for you to understand not only what design is,
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but how to recognize great design and understand why it's great.
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We will go through a total of 4 stages for this course.
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This stage being the first,
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we will understand what design is.
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In the second stage, you will learn the elements and principles of design and how to critique.
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In the third stage, you will learn how to become a great problem solver.
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Finally, stage 4 will conclude our course and prep you for our course's final quiz to earn the course badge.
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By the end of Design Foundations,
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you'll have a great understanding of design and the design process;
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also, how to implement design in your future projects.
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Will you have the credentials to jump into a web design position at the end of the course?
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No.
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You will simply have the tools of understanding good design,
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allowing you to move forward in your design career.
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When can you start calling yourself a designer?
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The answer to that is right now.
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You've consciously made a decision to take on the role as a designer through this course.
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From this very moment and moving forward, Designer,
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it's up to you to better yourself and to master the craft of design.
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This course will specifically be focusing on brand identity design,
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more specifically, conceptual, print, and web design scenarios.
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At the end of every video, you will be presented with a quiz,
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allowing you to advance to the next step.
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So make sure to pay close attention.
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It's now time for your first quiz.
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