Introduction
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The Design Process
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What is Design?
To
design is to plan or organize something for a specific
use, or to create something to meet a specific need. Often,
designs provide solutions to problem situations. Design solutions
are created through the Design
Process .
This process will vary depending upon what is being designed.
The quality of the solution the design provides is
important. A good design not only solves a problem, but does
so in an artful and elegant way. Reliability and cost
effectiveness are important considerations. A good design
is often simple, effective and efficient, with minimal use of resources
and energy.
Elements
and Principles of Design
The
successful designer understands both the elements and principles
of design.
The
elements of design are the means by which a designer communicates
ideas visually. The principles of design have to do with
how the elements of design are arranged or organized. Links
to a variety of web sites pertaining to the elements and
principles of design may be found on the resources
page.
Good
design also requires that the designer takes into account
other considerations:
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Functionality
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Does the object function as it was intended?
• Is the object designed to require little maintenance? |
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Safety
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Is the object safe to use?
• Have only nontoxic and non-hazardous materials
been used in the object's production?
• Does the object conform with standards amd regulations?
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Ergonomics
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Does the object's design (size, shape, materials) suit
the user?
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Appearance
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Is the object's appearance appealing?
• Does form follow function? (That is, does the
object's appearance suit its use?)
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