In my lifetime, I think the most asked question as a child was, “Why?”. My cousin, who was a year older than me, would get so angry because I would find the screws that held his toys together and as soon as I got my hands on a screwdriver his toys would be coming apart. Whenever I was fascinated with things I could not help but wonder what was it that made them so fascinating.
With design this has become a question that I am constantly asking myself. When I look at a design I want to see the meaning behind it. A few weeks ago a friend showed me an image of the latest Toyota FT-86 design and how much he disliked the way the mirrors were positioned and the windows were changed. Here’s the before and after.
Now, the latest concept shows the mirrors are a bit larger, quarter windows added and the mirrors have been relocated to sit on the door. My argument was that since the car is getting closer to it’s production phase, Toyota was no longer parading the beautiful concept and were now focused on making it driveable. The changes were made to increase driver visibility as well as decrease the amount of blind spots created in cars like these with a very sloped c-pillar and long mirrors. I can go into this further but it’s not quite what I’d like to discuss.
My point here is that with a lot of new designers, the main focal point is often the aesthetic of the design. If it looks pleasing to the eye, then it’s a great design. I know this because I once thought this way and now I begin to notice it in younger designers. When it comes to design, we are looking to solve problems. We want to make every function of the site work naturally and ensure that content is delivered how our audience will enjoy it. The FT-86 isn’t geared towards a 40+ age crowd. The people who are going to buy this car are looking for spirited driving and don’t want to have to adjust to horrible blindspots or trying to look where we are turning. With their new design they solved these issues.
When looking at a design you like, you need to ask why you like that particular design and try to understand that there was a decision to make it the way it is. With this, we can learn from these designers and begin to raise our knowledge behind these designs and the ability to execute them ourselves. Don’t just read articles and assume everything is correct, question everything and test everything out until you are satisfied with the results. Make a decision and if it sucks, try something else. Eventually you will master it and through this process you will get better. Your audience will love you for it in the end.