Critical Debates in Design | Task 8.2: 10 Things that I've learned

As the Critical Debates in Design Module is getting to an end we are required to describe and visualise ten things that we have learned while doing this module. During this time I have been able to define and fully understand important things for my starting career as a designer that I expose next, however they are not all the things that I've learned and the learning process is not stopping here.

The importance of scheduling

I‘ve never been good at organizing my time. I do organize my time in my mind but I don’t write it down so I don’t follow a strict schedule. Now I realize that it is important to write that down from the beginning of a project as it will give me a better idea of the time I have for every stage of the project.

The devil is in the detail

Caring for the smallest detail is what differentiates a good professional designer from a mediocre one.

Time for erring

It is part of the design process to make mistakes or investigate options with a dead end. Assume it, remember to include extra time on your schedule for that and don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get in the first or second attempt.

Show confidence

To do good design is no longer enough to success in the designer packed field. I have to control my subject and be able to speak about it with other designers, clients and general public. However I can’t forget that it is necessary to change my speech in order to adequate it to the target audience.

Have principles

Designing a new product or campaign can have a huge impact in society and the environment so honesty and responsibility in practice will avoid to produce more unnecessary crap and misleading graphic material.

Be loyal to your principles

Don’t let money or commodity ruin what you can get doing meaningful projects.

Cultural awareness

Design it is not a subject on its own. Any project is mostly about something else not related to design so it is crucial to investigate that other subject too. A general idea of what is going on in the world gives me useful knowledge to understand the social, geographical, economic or political context of a new project. It also makes new research quicker and smoother.

Show your ideas

Sometimes I am so focus in my project that I may risk to do it from my only point of view. Talking about my ideas to friends, family, possible target audience and fellow designers will help me to have a broader perspective of the problem and potential solutions and ensure that my ideas are understood.

You are not alone

As designers we can put our brains to work in many different subjects so may need to collaborate closely with other kind of designers or professionals like web developers, engineers, etc. I think is important to know how to work in a team as it will allow us to work on projects that we couldn't work on otherwise. It will also generate richer solutions.

The designer’s role

What is the role of a designer is as undefined as it was at the beginning of the course, but I now learned to be comfortable with it. To design is for many a concept most associated to draw but I believe it is most similar to think. Although, drawing is a very powerful tool to easily and universally communicate what has been thought. The designer’s tasks and roles within a project are several and the areas of action countless. I certainly love that about design.

What I want my role as a designer to be is a role that helps society to progress in a more sustainable and less selfish way. I believe that if many designers adopt this role we will truly be able to get it.