Design is more than just a Software Tool

Design is more than just a Software Tool

Design is more than software tools 1

 

There are three responses to a piece of design – Yes, No, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for. – Milton Glaser

To instil the WOW in your audience, you need a great combination of concept, content and design. Easier said than done, right?
This blog addresses how to get the WOW emotion from your audience through design.

Does a software tool have anything to do with creating an extraordinary design?

Most of us are familiar with the “I heart New York” logo, Milton Glaser came up with that in the back of a taxi on his way to a meeting in the year 1977.

Hardware tools used: Pen and Paper
Software tool used: None.

This logo earns the New York state close to $30 million each year.
Did he use any exquisite software tool? No.

It is a common misconception among many that, to design, you need to have a good software in place. This was not the case a couple of decade’s back when designs were manually done with pen, paper and sketch boards.

To design is to envision, it is to see something that doesn’t yet exist.
To design is to give your ideas and thoughts, physical form.

If you’re new to designing and you feel that not knowing a particular software is holding you back from what you want to achieve, this article is for you. It is also for designers who feel they can’t reach their pinnacle because of lack of knowledge of a particular software.

“I am a great believer in the primacy of drawing as a means of engaging the world & understanding what you’re looking at.”   – Milton Glaser

The design you make is a medium through which you communicate your ideas. Designing with a pen and an artboard has its own perks. To design it with a pen is to give it physical form. Work done manually always lasts longer in your memory.

Listed below are the general requirements for designing:

01

Ideas

Ideas are the mysterious spur in our minds about a particular subject. Each one has his own ideas and that is why we are so unique. Having an idea is the first step towards good design. Ideas are the fundamental blocks of design.

design software tool ideas 1
design software tool strategy

02

Strategy

Strategize how you want to achieve your design, a design is a combination of ideas. Haphazard execution of ideas would lead to a mess.

03

Vision

Designing is like walking in a dark tunnel until you find the light at the end of that tunnel. Then you go back and get other people to also see that light.

Roughly picturize how you want your final design to look. When you start you have no idea what your final design will look like, but you must have rough a picture in your head. To envision is to create a path to that light source at the end of the tunnel.

 

design software tool vision
design software tool memorability

04

Memorability

To create a good design is to make it rememberable and distinct. Simpler is better. The first impression should be a lasting impression.

05

Intricacy

The details of your design are very important. The smallest details have the largest impact on the big picture. Scrutinise to the minutest detail.

design software tool intricacy

06

Patience

Patience is a requirement for all designers. Some days are tough, where your ideas seem abysmal. Take a walk, free your mind by engaging with people.Talking helps in exchange of ideas, also giving rise to fresh ones.

Designing software’s are means by which you create your design. It is the workplace for your design and is a means to an end.