WHAT IS GRAPHIC DESIGN? THE DESIGNER USES IMAGERY, SYMBOLS, TYPE, COLOR, & MATERIAL TO
REPRESENT THE IDEAS THAT MUST BE CONVEYED & TO ORGANIZE THEM INTO A UNIFIED MESSAGE
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Dieter Rams’ glasses as captured by Annie Lebowitz in 2008. Dieter Rams, a well known member of the design community swore by these glasses as the one true symbol of his designer identity. The glasses will be entered into the Design Hall of fame this month in Switzerland.
A GRAPHIC DESIGNER IS A COMMUNICATOR: SOMEONE WHO TAKES IDEAS AND GIVES THEM VISUAL FORM SO THAT OTHERS CAN UNDERSTAND THEM. THE DESIGNER USES IMAGERY,SYMBOLS, TYPE, COLOR, & MATERIAL
Graphic designers perform this service on behalf of a
A graphic designer assimilates verbal concepts and gives
company or other organization to help that entity get
them form. A designer organizes the resulting form into a
its message out to its audience and, in so doing, evoke
tangible, navigable experience. The quality of the expe-
a particular response. Graphic design, as an industry, is
rience is dependent on the designer’s skill and sensibil-
a cousin to advertising, both of which were born from
ity in creating or selecting forms with which to manifest
the tumultuous period of the Industrial Revolution of
concepts, or messages. A designer is responsible for the
the late 1700s and early 1800s, when the working class-
intellectually and emotional vitality of the experience
finding itself with time on its hands and money to spend
he or she visits upon the audience for such messages.
in the pursuit of comfort-began to look for stuff to buy
The designer’s task is to elevate the experience of the
and things to do. Graphic design and advertising share
message above the banality of literal transmission and
one particular goal-to inform the public about goods,
the confusing self-indulgent egoism of mere eye-candy of
services, events, or ideas that someone believes will be
self fulfillment-although these might be important to the
important to them; but graphic design parts company
designer. Beauty is a function, after all, of any relevant
with advertising when it comes to ultimate purpose. Once
visual message. Just as prose can be dull and straightfor-
advertising informs its audience about some product
ward or well edited and lyrical, so too can a utilitarian
or event, it cajoles the audience into spending money.
object be designed to be more than just simply what it is.
Graphic design, however, simply seeks to clarify the mes-
Some time around 1932, Adolf Loos, the noted Viennese
sage and craft it into an emotional experience. Granted,
architect, said, “There is a great difference between an urn
graphic design often is used by advertising as a tool to
and a chamber pot, and in this difference there is leeway for
help sell goods and services; but the designing of mes-
culture.” That’s a lot of leeway. Designing is a discipline
sages is, at its core, its own endeavor altogether.
that integrates an enormous amount of knowledge and
This purpose is what differentiates graphic design from
skill with intuition, but it’s more than just the various
other disciplines in the visual arts-a purpose defined by
aspects that go into it: understanding the fundamentals
a client and manifested by a designer, rather than a pur-
of form and composition; applying those fundamentals
pose generated from within the designer. True, the fine
to evoke emotion and signify higher-order concepts; ma-
arts patron historically was often a client to the great
nipulating color messages; understanding semiotics and
painters, but, up until the nineteenth century, artistic
the relationship between difference kinds of visual signs;
creation was understood to be intrinsically a service in-
controlling the pacing of material and informational hi-
dustry. It wasn’t until the 1830s that the mystique of the
erarchy; integrating type and image for unified, coherent
bohemian painter as “expresser of self” arose and, even
messaging; and planning the fabrication of the work and
more recently-since the mid 1970s-the idea of the graphic
ensuring its physical quality as an object, whether it’s
designer as “author.”
printed, animated on screen, or built.
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DESIGN THINKING SAVES LIVES QUESTION; HOW MANY DESIGNERS WILL IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHT BULB?
ANSWER; WHY A LIGHT BULB?
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Designer Briefcase, as designed by Tim Brown for Bruce Nussbaum in celebration of his first published article about Design Thinking on the Bloomberg Business website.
THE METHODOLOGY COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS DESIGN THINKING IS A PROVEN & REPEATABLE PROBLEM SOLVING PROTOCOL THAT ANY BUSINESS OR PROFESSION CAN EMPLOY TO ACHIEVE EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS
DESIGN THINKING... WHAT IS THAT?
1 DEFINE THE PROBLEM
I have this image of Allen Samuels permanently emblazoned
Sounds simple but doing it right is perhaps the most im-
on my brain. This goes back to college. With his usual amaz-
portant of all the four stages. Another way to say it is
ing energy and unrestrained passion, this deeply passion-
defining the right problem to solve. Design thinking re-
ate design professor is explaining to us why the process of
quires a team or business to always question the brief,
design that we are learning is so important. Any profession,
the problem to be solved. To participate in defining the
he suggests with conviction, medicine, law, choreography
opportunity and to revise the opportunity before embark-
or politics can benefit by employing design thinking and
ing on its creation and execution. Participation usually
achieve better results. Although we all heard and believed
involves immersion and the intense cross examination of
then what he was saying, it has taken a great while for the
the filters that have been employed in defining a problem.
potential of his words to find purchase in a business envi-
In design thinking observation takes center stage. Obser-
ronment willing to accept his hypothesis.
vation can discern what people really do as opposed to
Although Design is most often used to describe an object
what you are told that they do. Getting out of the cube
or end result, Design in its most effective form is a pro-
and involving oneself in the process,product,shopping
cess, an action, a verb not a noun. A protocol for solving
experience or operating theater is fundamental. No one’s
problems and discovering new opportunities. Techniques
life was ever changed by a PowerPoint presentation.
and tools differ and their effectiveness are arguable but
Design thinking in problem definition also requires cross
the core of the process stays the same. It’s taken years
functional insight into each problem by varied perspec-
of slogging through Design = high style to bring us full
tives as well as constant and relentless questioning, like
circle to the simple truth about design thinking. That it
that of a small child, Why?, Why? Why? Until finally the
is a most powerful tool and when used effectively, can be
simple answers are behind you and the true issues are re-
the foundation for driving a brand or business forward.
vealed. Finally, defining the problem via design thinking
Basically Design thinking consists of four key elements.
requires the suspension of judgment in defining the prob-
DESIGN THINKING IS A PROVEN AND REPEATABLE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROTOCOL. DESIGN THINKING DESCRIBES A REPEATABLE PROCESS EMPLOYING UNIQUE & CREATIVE
TECHNIQUES WHICH YIELD GUARANTEED RESULTS—USUALLY RESULTS THAT EXCEED INITIAL
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lem statement. What we say can be very different to what
new ideas can be fragile in their infancy. Design think-
of failure and encourages maximum input and participa-
we mean. The right words are important. It’s not “design
ing allows their potential to be realized by creating an
tion. Wild ideas are welcome, since these often lead to
a chair”, it’s…”create a way to suspend a person”. The goal
environment conducive to growth and experimentation,
the most creative solutions. Everyone is a designer, and
of the definition stage is to target the right problem to
and the making of mistakes in order to achieve out of the
design thinking is a way to apply design methodologies
solve, and then to frame the problem in a way that invites
ordinary results. At this stage many times options will
to any of life’s situations.
creative solutions.
need to be combined and smaller ideas integrated into
Simon goes on to describe a seven step process: Define,
Question; How many designers will it take to screw in a
the selected schemes that make it through. Which brings
Research, Ideate, Prototype, Choose, Implement, Learn.
light bulb?
us to stage 3.5.
Whether the protocol is outlined in a seven, four or even
Answer; Why a light bulb?
2 CREATE & CONSIDER MANY OPTIONS Even the most talented teams and businesses sometimes fall into the trap of solving a problem the same way ev-
3.5 REPEAT (OPTIONAL)
three stage process, see—shape—build, it all comes from the same place a proven method that always delivers. And
Design thinking may require looping steps 2 and 3 until
it doesn’t matter what opportunity or problem is put into
the right answers surface.
the front end of the process. The end result of this simple yet highly effective protocol
ery time. Especially when successful results are produced
4 PICK THE WINNER, EXECUTE
and time is short. Design thinking requires that no mat-
At this point enough road has been traveled to insure
service. Implied in design thinking is an objective view
ter how obvious the solution may seem, many solutions
success. It’s the time to commit resources to achieve the
and a warm embrace of risk and new ideas.
be created for consideration. And created in a way that
early objectives. The byproduct of the process is often
That said, the outline above is a structure and while it
allows them to be judged equally as possible answers.
other unique ideas and strategies that are tangential to
may seem counter intuitive, structure can be one of the
Looking at a problem from more than one perspective
the initial objective as defined. Prototypes of solutions
key elements to enhancing creativity in problem solving.
always yields richer results.
are created in earnest, and testing becomes more critical
Design legend Charles Eames once famously said: “design
Many times we are not aware of the filters we may be bur-
and intense. At the end of stage 4 the problem is solved
depends largely on constraints”. This is very true; some-
dened with when we create answers to problems. In this
or the opportunity is fully uncovered.
times you need to draw the box in order to know what to
stage opportunites appear. The trick is to recognize them
While of late, there has been quite a lot of discussion
break out of. After that, the manner in which options are
as opportunities. Multiple perspectives and teamwork are
regarding what Design thinking is and how businesses can
considered, ideas are refined and selections are executed
crucial. Design thinking suggests that better answers hap-
leverage it, as suggested in the introduction to this piece
are the key.
pen when 5 people work on a problem for a day, than one
this is not a new or unproven idea.
Design thinking describes a repeatable process employing
person for five days. Designers have an advantage in the
From Wikipedia: Herbert Simon, in the “Sciences of
unique and creative techniques which yield guaranteed
use of 2D and 3 dimensional tools to demonstrate solutions
the Artificial” (MIT Press, 1969) has defined “design” as
results—usually results that exceed initial expectations.
and new ideas—tools which are almost always far more ef-
the “transformation of existing conditions into preferred
Extraordinary results that leapfrog the expected.
fective to demonstrate what is meant, than words.
ones” (p. 55). Design thinking is, then, always linked to
3 REFINE SELECTED DIRECTIONS
an improved future. Unlike critical thinking, which is a process of analysis and is associated with the ‘break-
A handful of promising results need to be embrace and
ing down’ of ideas, design thinking is a creative process
nurtured. Given a chance to grow protected from the evil
based around the ‘building up’ of ideas. There are no
idea-killers of previous experience. Even the strongest of
judgments in design thinking. This eliminates the fear
can be a better mousetrap, symphony, or dry cleaning
EXPECTATIONS. EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS THAT LEAPFROG THE EXPECTED. THIS IS WHY IT IS SUCH
AN ATTRACTIVE, DYNAMIC & IMPORTANT METHODOLOGY FOR BUSINESSES TO EMBRACE TODAY.
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DESIGN THINKING ISN’T A MIRACLE CURE, BUT HERE’S HOW IT HELPS LADIES & GENTLEMEN, LET ME BREAK THIS TO YOU GENTLY. DESIGN THINKING, THE TOPIC
WE’RE HERE TO ANALYZE & DISCUSS & GET TO GRIPS WITH SO YOU CAN GO BACK &
INSTANTLY TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESSES, IS NOT THE ANSWER.
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Dieter Rams reacting to the death of Design Thinking as captured by Ivring Penn, 2011.
KEVIN MCCULLAGH OF BRITISH PRODUCT STRATEGY CONSULTANCY, PLAN ORGANIZED A TWO-DAY EVENT FOR EXECUTIVES TO WRAP THEIR HEADS AROUND THE CONCEPT OF DESIGN THINKING—AND, IN PARTICULAR, TO THINK ABOUT HOW THEY MIGHT GO ABOUT IMPLEMENTING IT
Kevin invited me along to give an overview of some of the
cisely because it struck me as being the one place that
things I’ve been thinking recently. “Don’t hold back,” he
had its eye on both camps, on the creative industries and
advised. So I came up with a talk entitled, “Design Think-
on the business world writ large. And it struck me that
ing Won’t Save You” which aimed to outline what design
it’s at this nexus and intersection that the thriving busi-
thinking is *not* in order to help attendees figure out a
nesses of the future will be built.
practical way forward. Here’s an edited version of what
I joined the magazine back in 2006, which was a time
I said: Ladies and gentlemen, let me break this to you
when design thinking was really beginning to take hold as
gently. Design Thinking, the topic we’re here to analyze
a concept. My old boss, Bruce Nussbaum, emerged as its
and discuss and get to grips with so you can go back and
eloquent champion while the likes of Roger Martin from
instantly transform your businesses, is not the answer.
Rotman, IDEO’s Tim Brown, my new boss Larry Keeley and
Now before you throw down your coffee cups and storm
even the odd executive (AG Lafley of Procter and Gamble
out in disgust, let me explain that I’m not here to write
comes to mind) were widely quoted espousing its virtues.
off design thinking. Really, I’m not. In fact, I’ve been
Eager onlookers were left baffled about replicating this
a keen observer of the evolution of the discipline for a
success. Still, in the years that have followed, something
number of years now and I’m still curious to watch where
of a problem emerged. For all the gushing success stories
it goes and how it continues to evolve as its influence
that we and others wrote, most were often focused on
spreads throughout industries and around the world. So
one small project executed at the periphery of a mul-
to be clearer, I suppose I should say that design thinking
tinational organization. When we stopped and looked,
won’t save you, but it really might help:
it seemed like executives had issues rolling out design
First, some context: Until July of 2010, I was the edi-
thinking more widely throughout the firm. And much of
tor of innovation and design at Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
this stemmed from the fact that there was no consensus
Before that, I’d worked consistently in design journalism
on a definition of design thinking, let alone agreement
both here in New York and in London. The reason that I
as to who’s responsible for it, who actually executes it or
wanted to join BusinessWeek in the first place was pre-
how it might be implemented at scale.
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THE DESIGN THINKERS HAD BEEN DRINKING TOO MUCH OF THEIR OWN KOOL-AID
IT CAPTURES MANY OF THE QUALITIES THAT CAUSE DESIGNERS TO CHOOSE TO MAKE A CAREER IN THEIR FIELD, YES. & DESIGNERS CAN MOST CERTAINLY PLAY A KEY PART IN FACILITATING
& EXPEDITING IT. BUT IT’S NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR THE IMPORTANT, DIFFICULT JOB OF DESIGN THAT EXISTS ELSEWHERE IN THE ORGANIZATION.
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And we’d be wise to note that there’s a reason that com-
they’ve been doing forever. Packaging still needs to be
You need to be prepared to rethink how you think about
times there’s no way to overcome that fuzziness. Leaps of
able hanging out in the world of the unknown, and this
and quirky. In fact, I would argue, beware the snakeoil
panies such as Procter & Gamble and General Electric
thoughtfully created. Branding and marketing programs
projects, about who gets involved and when, about no
faith are necessary. But designers should do everything
confidence allows him to take risks and make intuitive
salesmen who promise you’ll never take another wrong step
were held up time and again as being the poster chil-
still need to be brilliantly executed. Products still need
less than how you do things. The way that you approach
they can to demonstrate that they have an understand-
bets that for the past decade or so have paid off every
again if you buy into design thinking. While some execu-
dren of this new discipline. Smartly, they had defined it
to be artfully designed to be appropriate for the modern
innovation itself will probably need to change. This might
ing of what they’re asking, and put in place measure-
time. And he’s instilled this spirit in his team. New com-
tives have been running their businesses according to its
according to their own terms, executing initiatives that
world. When it comes to digital experiences, for instance,
seem like a massive undertaking, but if you’re after genu-
ments and metrics that are appropriate and that can show
pany leader Tim Cook is renowned for the creative way in
principles for years now, the formal discipline is still pretty
were appropriate to their own internal cultures. And that
design is really the driving force that will determine
ine disruption more than incremental improvement, these
they’re not completely out of touch with the business of
which he worked on supplier issues.
new, and individual companies really have to figure out how
often left eager onlookers somewhat baffled as to how to
whether a product lives or dies in the marketplace.
kinds of measures are the only way to get the results that
the business, even if they can’t fully guarantee that a bet
So now we get into something of a problem of terminol-
it can work for them. There’s no plug and play system you
replicate their success.
Design thinking is different. It captures many of the qual-
you need.
will pay off.
ogy, because more than likely, Steve Jobs doesn’t consider
can simply install and roll out. Instead, you have to be pre-
This is something that I think you need to think very
ities that cause designers to choose to make a career in
Design thinking is not a panacea. It is a process, just as
Designers were quite happy to bask in their new status.
Apple’s approach to be “design thinking”. Yet he’s the con-
pared to be flexible and agile in your own thinking. You’ll
carefully about as you look to implement design thinking
their field, yes. And designers can most certainly play a
Six Sigma is a process. Both have their place in the modern
The two worlds of design and business still need to learn
summate example of one who’s built an organization on its
likely have to question and rethink internal processes. For
within your company. Coming up with ways to implement
key part in facilitating and expediting it. But it’s not a
enterprise. The quest for efficiency hasn’t gone away and
to meet half way. Think of an organization in which de-
promise. This approach of risk taking, of relying on intu-
there to be a chance of success, you’re going to have to
this philosophy and process throughout your organiza-
replacement for the important, difficult job of design that
in fact, in our economically straitened times, it’s sensible
sign plays a central, driving role, and there’s really only
ition and experience rather than on the “facts” provided
ascertain what metrics you want to use to judge whether
tion, developing the ways to motivate and engage your
exists elsewhere in the organization.
to search for ever more rigorous savings anywhere you can.
one major cliché of an example to use: Apple. But what
by spreadsheets and data, is anathema to most analysis-
a program has been successful or not. And you’re going to
employees along with the metrics to ensure that you have
The value of multi-disciplinary thinking is one that many
But design thinking can live alongside efficiency measures,
Apple has in Steve Jobs is what every organization look-
influenced C-suite members. But you need this kind of
have to figure out how to allocate resources to make sure
a sense of the real value of your achievements are all crit-
have touched upon in recent years. That includes the T-
as a smart investment in innovation that will help the com-
ing to embrace design as a genuine differentiating factor
champion if design thinking is to gain traction and pay off.
that an initiative even has a chance of taking off.
ical issues that need to be considered, carefully, upfront.
shaped thinkers championed by Bill Moggridge at IDEO,
pany remain viable as the future becomes the present.
needs: a business expert who is able to act as a whole-
I once heard a discussion between the current director of
I know some of you are familiar with the work and think-
Designers often bristle when the term design thinking
and the I-with-a-serif-shaped thinker introduced by Mi-
Somehow, for a time there it seemed like executives
hearted champion of the value of design. In other words,
the Cooper-Hewitt museum, Bill Moggridge, and Hewlett
ing of Doblin’s Larry Keeley, with whom I’m working now.
comes up in conversation. It’s kind of counterintuitive,
crosoft Research’s Bill Buxton, right through to the col-
thought that if they bought into a program of design
Jobs has been utterly convinced that consumers will be
Packard’s VP of Design, Sam Lucente. Sam was talking
For a long time, Larry has been at the forefront of the
right? But here’s why: Having been initially overjoyed
laboration across departments, functions and disciplines
thinking then all their problems would be solved. And we
prepared to pay a premium for Apple’s products, and so
about how design thinking had helped him and his team
movement to transform the discipline of innovation from
that the C-suite was finally paying attention to design,
that constitutes genuine cross disciplinary activity. This,
should be honest, many designers were quite happy to
he’s given the design department the responsibility to
to redevelop the design of one particular product that
a fuzzy, fluffy activity into a much more rigorous science.
designers suddenly became terrified that they were ac-
I believe, is the way that innovation will emerge in our
perpetuate this myth and bask in their new status. Then
make sure that every part of every one of those products
had done badly in the marketplace in order to produce a
His thinking in that arena holds for design thinking too.
tually being beaten to the punch by business wolves in
fiendishly complex times.
the economy tanked and as Kevin wrote in a really bril-
doesn’t disappoint.
later, more successful version. The way he told the story,
It’s time to move beyond the either/or discussions so of-
designer clothing. Design thinking captures the qualities
Just as design thinking does not replace the need for de-
liant article published on Core77, “Many who had talked
He is also notorious for his pickiness. I’ve talked with
design thinking meant that this couldn’t be seen as a fail-
ten entertained within organizations. This isn’t about left
that drew designers to the field. Suddenly, designers had
sign specialists, nor does it magically appear out of some
their way into high-flying positions were left gliding…
Apple designers who say he would scrap a project late in
ure, because every moment had been one of wonder and
brain vs right brain. This is about the need for analysis and
a problem on their hands. Don Norman, formerly of Apple,
black box. Design thinking isn’t fairy dust. It’s a tool to
Greater exposure to senior management’s interrogation had
the game in order to make sure something is exactly as he
learning. My interpretation was initially a little less po-
synthesis. Both are critically important, from data analyt-
once commented that “design thinking is a term that needs
be used appropriately. It might help to illuminate an an-
left many… well, exposed. The design thinkers had been
thinks it should be. Now I don’t know about you, but how
etic, that in fact design thinking no more guarantees the
ics to complexity management to iteration and rapid pro-
to die.” Designer Peter Merholz of Bay Area firm Adap-
swer but it is not the answer in and of itself.
drinking too much of their own Kool-Aid.”
often does a project come back and it’s not quite how you
success in the marketplace of a product than any other
totyping. But even with all of this, there’s never going to
tive Path wrote scornfully: “Design thinking is trotted out
Instead, it turns up insights galore, and there is real
The disconnect between the design department, the
wanted it but it’s okay and it’s really too late to make the
tool or technique.
be a way to 100% guarantee success. The goal here is to be
as a salve for businesses who need help with innovation.”
value and skill to be had from synthesizing the messy,
D-suite, if you will, and the C-suite is still pretty pro-
changes to make it great and so you go with it? I know I’m
But actually, reframing failure in terms of learning is not
able to act with eyes wide open, to have a clear intent in
He didn’t mean this as a compliment. Instead, his point
chaotic, confusing and often contradictory intellect of
nounced in most organizations. Designers who are look-
guilty of doing that. Jobs doesn’t countenance that ap-
just a kooky, quirky thing to do. In and of itself, it’s per-
mind and to have systems in place that allow you to reward
was that those extolling the virtues of design thinking
experts gathered from different fields to tackle a particu-
ing to take a more strategic role in the organization, who
proach. And he’s set up processes to ensure that problems
haps a useful exercise. By taking the pressure off design
success and quickly move on from disappointment—and to
are at best misguided, at worst likely to inflict dangerous
larly thorny problem. That’s all part of design thinking.
should really be the figures one would think of to drive
are caught, early, and the designers have enough time to
thinking and not expecting it to be the bright and shiny
make sure that your organization learns from those mis-
harm on the company at large, over-promising and under-
And designing an organizational structure in which this
these initiatives, need to ensure that they are well versed
get back to the drawing board if necessary. This commit-
savior of the world, those trying out its techniques will be
takes and thus does not repeat them.
delivering and in the process screwing up the delicate
kind of cross-fertilization of ideas can take place effec-
in the language of business. It’s totally reasonable for
ment to excellence has helped turn Apple into the world’s
empowered to use it to its greatest advantage, to help in-
business of design itself.
tively is tremendously challenging, particularly within
their nervous executive counterparts to want to under-
most valuable technology company.
troduce new techniques, to give new perspectives, to out-
So let’s be very clear. Design thinking neither negates nor
large organizations where systems and departments have
stand an investment in regular terms. Fuzziness is not a
Note too Jobs’ approach to customer research: “It isn’t the
line new ways of thinking or develop new entries to market.
replaces the need for smart designers doing the work that
become entrenched over the years.
friend here. And yet, as I’ll get into in a moment, some-
consumers’ job to know what they want.” Jobs is comfort-
Reframing failure in terms of learning is not just a kooky
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