Graphic Designer. UI Designer. UX Designer. Product Designer. Service Designer. Multimedia Designer. Fashion Designer.
Feel overwhelmed yet? There are super specific domains under the umbrella of design and we wouldn’t blame a layman for feeling confused about the meaning behind all these titles!
Today, we discuss how Design Thinking — the backbone of any design domain — is the common thread that binds the problem-solving process all designers follow.
Design Thinking is a way to solve problems by following an unrestrained methodology where the designer will work on multiple possible solutions at once. The objective is to find better answers to an existing challenge or, if no answer currently exists, to devise an entirely new one. Design Thinking guides designers to look at one problem from every angle, and bifurcate answers into different directions while speculating on both the past and the future of the problem. This manner of problem-solving is highly dynamic and can also be called a kind of parallel-thinking. It is in contrast to the scientific method of problem-solving which is mainly argumentative in nature and requires a highly-defined problem that is focused on deriving one single solution.
Any good designer worth his salt must have a solid foundation in Design Thinking. This single process is the main differentiator between art and design. An artist expresses, a designer solves. Similarly, good design in any domain checks a few basic but integral boxes. It is simple, usable, accessible, and delightful. This is why UP Studio believes that design needs no prefix! It is a way of thinking happening at the backstage of any design project. Good design comes from a good designer, not their title!
To give an example, when our design team was given a project to overhaul the brand identity of a fashion line, our graphic designer who comes from a fashion background was also able to provide valuable insights about some of the printing processes involved in a fashion business. With her inputs in mind, the team designed a brand guideline with practical considerations toward the different manufacturing processes like dyeing, printing, embroidery, merchandising, and packaging.
Our graphic designer could shift her mode of thinking from the domain of graphics to fashion and back in one single brainstorming session! The first step to becoming a designer in any field is to train one’s brain to think in this manner. This is why unlike any other field, it is reasonably easy to switch branches within design. Designers are often used to communicating their thinking visually through drawings, sketches, and prototypes. Ideas that are tough to put into words are given shape in the form of visual metaphors. Design Thinking easily incorporates these abstract thoughts that rational thinking may find more challenging to accommodate.
In conclusion, creativity doesn’t depend on your educational qualifications or your job title — a good eye for aesthetics coupled with an analytical side can be enough to start off your journey as a designer!
