31.12.23
If we abstract design to its absolute core, there are few fundamentals on which a designer has control over. These fundamentals in my opinion keep me centred in a state of constant flux. Almost acting as a guiding light.
Primary being your craft and evolution of skill. Ultimately, it's about putting your skill on paper and about practising it ,until it takes a form of its own. Firmly rooted in the idea of creating an experience from scratch. At some point in the process, work will cease to feel like a mundane task and evolve into a playground of exploration. This constant exploration and evolution, forces us to maintain an active relationship with the world; keeping us grounded and in touch with reality
Moving on to the next fundamental, your ability to adapt. The creative process is a tug of war between our creative impulses and the discipline to convert ideas into tangible results. Adapting your thought process with changing times is a must. It's good to keep questioning the existing systems and align your thought process with what is going on in the world. As a habit, it might take time to develop, demanding analytical thinking and a knack of connecting the dots.
And the third fundamental being, the value you bring to others. Our taste is often a reflection of what we absorb from our environment. What we consume on a day to day, what we watch,listen, read and scroll - all of it leaves a mark on our creative self.At the same time, we are expected to push through,expand beyond what we infer and bring new perspectives to the table. We must not forget that what we create is not only for us,
rather will be integrated in other's lives. Making original products is not enough, other people must like them, must be comfortable using them.
It goes without saying that the hardest part of the process is to decode what people/users want. A question that often keeps designer's up at night. Technology and our thoughts in relation to the world are dynamic, constantly evolving.As a consequence new ways of shaping our environment give rise to new flavours of design. It is easy to get confused by all these disciplines and their jargon.
To be honest, designers invent their own job. These fundamentals keep you grounded, giving you the confidence to adapt to your surroundings as a creative.
