All in Design Philosophy

First Principles Design

I started thinking about the story behind the things around me later on in my middle school career. I can't remember what exactly initiated the thoughts, but I remember them eating at me. "Why is this thing like this? Why couldn’t they have done this other thing?" I began contracting the product designers' disease of perpetual criticism of the created environment around me early on.

A Good-Better-Best Framework for Design

The long term relationship between a design team and it’s client has everything to do with what the design team delivers and when. Setting clear expectations about the quality and completeness of the design work keeps both the design team and the client from changing the expectations without thoughtful discussions together. Simply articulating early in the development process, what good, better, and best solutions look like can make all the difference in what is delivered and in the long term relationship.

Storytelling in Design

Think of your favorite fictional characters. Who are they? Do they live in a world like ours or somewhere very different and far away? What do they look like? What do they like to do? Consider your relationship with these characters. Though they are not real, you are invested in their story.

The Yin and Yang of Conceptual Design

Conceptual design is the early part of the design process, which is often envisioned with post-it covered walls, smart interdisciplinary teams, and concept sketching. Conceptual design is full of energy and optimism. Until it is not. In this article I give a few tips – centered on the ancient philosophy of yin and yang – that help me keep conceptual design full of energy and optimizing the whole time.

Design through Analogy

Metaphors, similes, parallels, allegories, symbols, and, of course, analogies are some of the tools designers, engineers, and scientists often use to communicate, discover, and develop their trade. Johannes Kepler was one of the foremost scientists to apply analogies to discover the design of our solar system. We should follow his example in our efforts.

Learn to Create, Design to Learn

The ability to create, and to become better at creating, is implicit in the nature of the brain’s neural network. As one approaches the peak of efficient work and cerebral focus, creativity becomes a self-sustaining process: the flow of ideas morphs into a rapid current that carries the creator and maximizes both the pace of the work and the enjoyment that comes with it. We all seek to innovate in such a way, but how do we achieve this level of creation on a regular basis?