Working on a lot of projects, with a lot of different drivers so have been thinking about this as of late.
Wrote a thing.
Does design matter?
It matters to me.
It’s why I like talking about design, writing about design, and engaging with others about design.
To me, design has the power to make an impact on people, even if you don’t know or care about design. It can improve your performance, make your life easier, or make your day more enjoyable.
I’m happier when I’m surrounded by objects that make me smile with beauty or are designed with features that anticipate how I will use them. My mind is clearer, and I feel calm when I avoid things that are poorly designed with visual noise or cause friction in function.
Does design matter in the context of business?
If bad design is profitable, does it matter? There are many brands I am critical of but that bring in tremendous shareholder value. Shoes I know that don’t perform that sell well. Everyone hates what BMW is doing, but they have never been more profitable.
We all have choices to make.
Design vs. profit isn’t an either/or.
I’d rather lift up a business through Good Design than bad design.
I’d rather push a brand into a race to the top than a race to the bottom.
I’d rather care about form and function than pick one and ignore the other.
Right now my thoughts in this focus on the PoS that is my Theragun Christmas present. Lovely CMF, thoughtful out-of-boxing, all the print materials and their little cute envelopes, a fresh iconic ID… and a battery that won’t charge. Apparently its a widespread problem too, with hacky fixes like “cycle the plunger back and forth rapidly for ten minutes” and sh***y customer service that sends new units and advises owners to just throw away the non-functional products.
Theragun is the new Ammunition Beats headphones. Design disguises crap internals and yet extracts hundreds of dollars apiece from consumers. Rant over.
I think that is an interesting question. Does Design matter?
I guess it matters to Designers, people that have appreciation for aesthetics and functionality, as you already pointed out.
But is Design the only thing that matters, or even the major thing? I doubt it. That is something highly specific to the application, right? It matters more to brands that built a following that values Design (automotive in general, but even more so for “sophisitcated” luxury brands), less so for products that perform well irrespective of the specific design (i.e. a spoon).
The business context is such a complex field, that all the things that matter have to come together. Marketing, Development, Competition, Cost, Design etc.
There will be a balance that hits the sweetspot and is the most profitable, if that were to be the benchmark of success.
What I find interesting are the intagibles though. They often make the difference between whether something is considered good Design or bad design (general functionality granted). Like what is the story behind the design? Is it because of a personal experience one of the designers had, why they chose to solve the problem in any given way, or was it the consideration of the environment?
Out of context I would say the Yeezy Foam Runners, or the Cyber Truck dont hit my Design Vision, and yet, after diving into the backround and considering the purpose the designers had in mind while executing I can see why certain choices were made and appreciate the disruptive character.
My conclusion therefore. Design matters as long as it is good (adds value). Design matters more with Design Context/Vision/Story.