If we Google the word “design”, it is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can be interpreted as, a “plan,” “fundamental structure,” “proposal.” As a verb, “to design” indicates ” to craft something,” “to feign or simulate,” or “to forge strategically.” To trace back to its origin, etymologically, “design” means to “draw a sign.” It is before the Renaissance, the word “design” was on the same family tree with other words like “machine,” “technique,” and “art.” These words were inseparable from each other because it started with our ancestors, “design” was a way to communicate our needs and imaginations into functioning matters. Like many many Mid-Century designers whom we still having a hard time pinning them down into one particular discipline; Whether it is industrial or graphical, all of them had one similar goal – to aim for the prospect of better living.
Henry Dreyfuss, one of the most successful industrial design pioneers said “To look ahead one must learn to look back.” Dreyfuss acknowledged the success of our industrial development and did not take the transformative process for granted. Rather, he believed the process of new innovation and design is influenced by the chain reaction of inspiration from past triumph. All of these past successful designs Dreyfuss admired were human-centered. When Dreyfuss created the Measure of Man, a book that showcases the understanding of anthropometric and ergonomic realities that ultimately impacts the design process, he emphasized human flourishing and how these design decisions could impact people’s lives.
When Arlene Francis interviewed The Eames in the 1950’s, she asked “Is there a basic theory of design?” Charles Eames stated that it was the attitude of never settle for the idea of sitting in the fashion. He and his partner Ray Eames embodied this quote in their design practice. Their well-known Eames chair and lounger manifested the method of “measure, build, and learn.” In interaction design today, this method is commonly being used in our practice. Whether it is building prototypes or iterating our MVPs (minimal viable product), as a designer, we are trained to confront failures, and then take these feedback to refine our product until we succeed.
Moreover, Ladislav Sutner brought graphic design into a new era by considering utility, simplicity, and beauty. He considered how to use effective design to benefit our human nature – he produced methodologies that transcended the paradigm of the average graphic design aesthetic. Sutner optimized the visual language in an intuitive way, which we are still using in our field today. It is to learn how to manipulate the visual design to marry the most optimal functionality and aesthetic together. Furthermore, Karl Gerstner established a standard direction for modern day’s web design with his creation of a grid system. It truly defined the merit of web design and it helped to make information more flexible and organizable.
