Welcome to Design. As you progress through this topic, you will learn about:
- What is design
- The design process
- Who are ‘creative’ designers.
Terminology and vocabulary reference guide
Working in a design environment, you need to be familiar with terms associated with principles and use the terms correctly (and confidently) with clients, colleagues, and other industry professionals. You will be introduced to many terms and definitions. It can come handy to start a vocabulary reference guide by adding any unfamiliar terms into a notebook or a Word document.
Activities
There are activities within this topic and an automated quiz at the end. This is not part of your assessment but will provide practical experience that will help you in your work and help you prepare for your formal assessment.
Have you ever wondered what design means to you? What does design look like in your mind? Design in simple terms means to have a plan to create something. This can look different for everyone as it will all depend on what is being created. Generally, when people think of design, they would immediately envision the result, the final product. But the steps, and in particular, the planning involved to get to that result is perhaps the most important. This part is what is referred to as the “design process”. It can look very different for different design projects. For instance, some design projects will allow more flexibility to take a creative approach, this will enable the designer to add personal preferences, touches, ideas and expression into the design work. Other times, there will be strict briefs that will provide much guidance in what the result should look like, meaning that you need to help bring another person’s vision to life. Whichever approach is decided upon, it is not effective if it does not serve its purpose. In the words of a known American designer…
Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.
Design will commence with motive that aims at evoking emotions, feelings, a mood or provide a solution, structure and practicality. Design isn’t always simply for aesthetics and will always serve a purpose. With the variety of design work available in the world, the reasons as to why a design is initially created can be broad. Have a look at the following inspirational video that explains the many things design could be.
Design has played fundamental roles throughout history, with new inventions, fine arts, architecture, fashion, technologies, graphics, education, business architecture, town planning and more. If there is one thing, we have learnt throughout history is that design can be anything at all and is forever evolving.
The approach for the design process can be determined by the individual, the businesses, and at times, the project at hand. The design process is a term applied to the entirety of work involved from the beginning of a design project through to the end. The first phase of design will always begin with a design/client brief. The brief, normally given by a client who needs design work done, identifies the details of the design. The final phase includes the production of the final design, this should aim at accurately meeting the needs of the brief. The work that occurs between these two phases of the design process will differ upon the approach of the individual or business. The design process includes a breakdown of the steps when creating the design. One fundamental stage is the planning stage. Let’s face it, there is less room for error when you plan a project well. For some, this stage will involve research. For others, it might include trial and error, experimenting and collaboration with peers. Sometimes it is a combination of a few different methods. There is no right or wrong approach when planning, so long as it helps to inform the work. The planning stage of the design process will allow the designer to gather information applicable to the design and generate ideas to be developed in the latter.
In the creative design industry, designers could adopt a variety of roles that meet the needs of a business. They can help produce products for business functionality, practicality and output final designs for clients.
The following table provides an overview of common job roles found in the creative design industry and a description to each.
| Job Roles | Description |
|---|---|
| Graphic designer | One of the most common careers in the creative industry is of graphic designers. Graphic Designers create designs for marketing material, product illustrations, brand identities and websites using computer software like the Adobe® Creative Suite. |
| User experience (UX) designer | UX designers make websites, mobile applications, software, or video games easier to navigate and more intuitive for users to interact with. They also analyse the specific components of the system such as usefulness, value, credibility and accessibility. |
| Photographer | Photographers use their creativity and composition skills alongside their technical expertise to capture photographs that tell a story or document an event. Most photographers work with digital cameras and editing software to capture subjects in commercial-quality images. |
| Interior designer | Professionals in this occupation work with interior spaces to improve the area's safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal. They select colour schemes, furniture, flooring, lighting and all other elements of a room or building. Interior designers also sketch their ideas or use design software to communicate their plans with the architects, structural engineers and builders who bring their designs to life. |
| Multimedia artists and animator | These professionals create animations and special effects for movies, television, video games and other forms of media, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. They work with teams of animators and artists to bring ideas to life using computer software or by writing their own computer code. Some work in studios or offices, but many are self-employed and work from home. |
| Art director | Art directors work in various settings such as magazines, newspapers, internet-based publications and advertising or public relations agencies. They communicate with clients while overseeing project budgets and timelines. They manage a team of design professionals, reviewing and approving all creative materials before presenting them to clients. |
| Advertising and promotions manager | Professionals in these positions often work in agencies to organise campaigns for clients. They may also be responsible for selling advertising space or time for media firms. This is a job for creative people with strong business acumen. They work with sales staff to develop concepts for campaigns, partner with creative teams to produce layouts, negotiate contracts and prepare overall campaign budgets. |
| Fashion designer | Fashion designers are professionals in this field who design new clothing and accessories. Designs are sketched on paper or digital devices, and then colours, materials and textures of the final product are determined. Fashion designers study fashion trends by reviewing magazines and attending fashion shows. They then provide sample garments to sales representatives and agents in hopes of selling their own collections |
| Film and video editor | Film and video editors use specialised software to construct promotional or artistic productions from footage shot by camera operators. This creative career involves working with directors and producers to determine which material is most captivating for their audience and piece together scenes. The editing process involves trimming footage down into segments, marking frames for audio and organising raw footage into a seamless and polished final product. |
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Apart from designing entirely different products, all of these roles will include the design process that can include some of the following:
- Meeting with clients
- Interpreting a brief
- Brainstorming ideas
- Seeking feedback
- Experimenting
- Preparing materials and tools
- Considering copyrights and intellectual property
- Research and organisation of findings
- Presenting ideas to appropriate personnel such as peers, managers or clients.
When working as a designer in the creative industry, determining the boundaries and responsibilities of the job role will facilitate an understanding of how to perform tasks confidently and effectively. It is imperative to identify the required tasks, procedures needed to complete tasks, who are the reporting lines, and the parameters of making executive decisions on a design. Many of the designer roles will always include collaboration. Some design work will require a need for teamwork in both the planning and production stages. Therefore, how we communicate and work with others will become a skill that is essential to the role of a designer that will help complete work tasks.
In this topic, Welcome to Design, you have learnt about:
- What is design
- The design process
- Who are ‘creative’ designers.
