Designs and Their Users
A good design is not only beautiful but also serves users' purposes. If a design, regardless of its innovation and beauty, is not able to reach people, it cannot be considered good. Good designers visualize their designs from users' perspectives.
New designs always involve risk. To minimize these risks, some designers use market research, user testing, prototyping, and trend analysis to predict success. Designs don't have to be new, diverse, or impressive to be successful. If a design fulfills customers' needs, it is successful.
Designs and Artists
An artist's freedom cannot be restricted. However, designers must work in commercial environments. They must combine their knowledge and creativity with technology to produce tangible outcomes. Graphic designers' work involves identifying problems and designing solutions.
The Field of Design
The field of design is vast. New technologies allow designers to create better products. The scope of design is widening, as design has moved from being applicable to only buildings, furniture, appliances, vehicles, and glossy magazines to being applicable to Internet and electronic media, engendering the rise of multimedia design, website design, gaming design, and virtual imaging.
Design Careers
Design professionals can become commercial and industrial designers, fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers, and much more. As design encompasses a wide variety of fields, professionals can also specialize in design areas such as the automotive industry, textiles, interior designing, and set designing. Other occupations that require computer-aided design skills include computer-software engineering, drafting, and desktop publishing. Occupations that involve design include advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, sales management, photography, writing, editing, and prepress technology.
Skills and Knowledge
Designers must have:
- creativity and vision
- strong aesthetic senses and knowledge of color
- excellent sketching abilities
- proficiency in computer-aided design
The design job market has become extremely competitive. Consequently, design careers have become both important and challenging. Design professionals must work closely with production staffs to design products that will fit into market trends.
Design professionals have to be persistent and capable of communicating ideas, both visually and verbally. Design professionals must also adapt quickly to the latest technology, possess problem-solving skills, and be able to work independently under pressure. Self-discipline, time-management skills, knowledge of business, and sales abilities are also important, especially for those design professionals who want to work as freelancers or operate their own businesses.
Design professionals usually receive on-the-job training. Experienced designers can look forward to becoming chief designers, design-department heads, or managers.
