Design is all around us nowadays, and often we don’t even notice it in our everyday surroundings. However, it has a significant impact on our life: on how we perceive information, choose what to buy, etc. The notion of design, in reality, is mostly vague and can mean a lot of things, and therefore, it’s difficult to understand its essence. For this reason, today we’ll try to do this job for you and explain what design is and why it’s important. But considering we’re the Web Design Agency, we’ll also do this from a UX design perspective.
What is design, and what’s its meaning?
There are two approaches to defining design, depending on what it focuses on – whether it’s centered around an object or cognitive reception that it evokes. According to Elzbieta T. Kazmierczak’s article, the essence of design lies in the people (or users) that it’s created for. Its value then is how effectively people can reconstruct the intended meaning.
According to the same author, “All designs are regarded as diagrams of mental maps of individual and collective cultures.” Meaning that the purpose of design is to provoke specific interferences which should be followed by appropriate behavior.
Moreover, the design’s purpose is to visualize data or specific information. Meaning the receiver should get certain thoughts through design and relate to them.
If we’re talking about design from a business perspective, it can be perceived as a plan for achieving the objective of your business strategy. According to the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, the word design itself became widespread in the 20th century and comes from the Latin word “designare” which means to draw a plan.
A good design should be a meaningful one and focus on the people (users or clients) and their needs.
Types of design
Design can include a wide range of well-established activities. They are:
- graphic design
- digital and web design
- industrial and product design
- packaging design
- interior and fashion design
- software design
- service design
According to the research, in addition to these activities, there are also many emerging ones. They are for example a “universal design,” applying design to satisfy the needs of user groups regardless of age, gender, or eco-design, the design of products and services considering its environmental impact during its whole lifecycle.
Also, before the activities that are related to art, architecture and crafts were thought to be separate from mainstream design disciplines. But now these boundaries between those disciplines are blurring increasingly.
Big 6: the elements of design
After having gotten to know the meaning of design better, let’s dive into its essential elements. We promise it will help you to understand the core of design and its importance for your business.
Shapes
Shapes are the building blocks of design and are useful elements of visual communication in design. There are common types of shapes to understand the meaning of each and convey your message properly:
- Simple vs. compound: Simple shapes are the basic geometric forms such as squares, triangles, and circles and their 3D forms: cubes, cylinders, cones, and spheres. Compound shapes are more complex shapes made of simple shapes.
- Organic vs. inorganic: Organic shapes are the ones we can spot in nature, such as leaves, flowers, and animals. Inorganic shapes are more symmetrical and rigid. They are geometrical forms.
Lines
Lines are another basic element of design. They can be vertical, diagonal, horizontal; straight or curved; smooth, rough, and so on. Lines serve to create division and hierarchy for your design. They can direct users’ eyes toward the essential information and influence their subliminal perception of your design. For example, if you’re using a diagonal line, you’re sending a message of the movement.
Colors
Color is one of the most powerful design elements. It can be used just by itself or serve as a background or as a highlight for other elements of design. The color palette that you choose for your design is crucial and can determine your brand’s and website’s success.
Typography
Typography is an essential element of UI, web, and graphic design. It conveys a mood and sets the tone for the whole design. Moreover, with the help of typography, you can create a visual hierarchy for your design. This allows you to guide them effortlessly through your website’s content.
Texture
In terms of digital design, texture stands for how your design could feel. You can create a visually appealing experience for the users. Also, it helps to add some depth to your design and makes it look more interesting.
Space
The last core element of your design is space. It helps to enhance the readability of your design, simplify it (if needed), or complete an image. There are two types of space: positive and negative. Positive space is the subject of interest, meaning the person’s face, etc. The negative space is the background area. It surrounds the subject or positive space.
Why design is important for your business?
The importance of the design can’t be underestimated. Design as an approach to problem-solving can be applied across a variety of sectors: both private and public. By putting people at the center of everything, it helps to foster innovation in products, processes, services, and systems.
Additionally, according to the research, it is also important to have both an in-house design team and outsource design services from time to time. Hiring an external design team can help to improve your ideas and contribute to developing product designs. Also, it can provide both specialist expertise and a fresh perspective on design challenges that your companies may face.
Design and branding
While building a brand, you should consider design as one of the most crucial factors of your brand strategy. Obviously, to create a successful business, you should spare enough time, budget, and effort for your branding. But design is what will help you to beat the competition and stand out in the market.
Moreover, high-quality brand design, built with the customers in mind, helps to build meaningful connections with them and increase their loyalty. If you choose a design for your branding wisely, you can even persuade potential customers that your product is better than your competitor’s one.
Importance of UX design
When it comes to UX design, a great user experience is crucial because its ultimate goal is fulfilling the user’s needs and make them happy with your website or app. Its goal is to guarantee positive experiences that will keep users loyal to your product and brand. Also, UX design allows you to define users’ journey with your digital product which is essential for your online marketing and business strategy.
Moreover, an effective UX design creates a lot of benefits for your business and your website/app. They are:
- Increased conversions. There can be many websites that sell the same product or services as you do. What can differentiate you from them is a great user experience. Users usually pick websites that have a clear interface and work smoothly. Therefore, a good UX design will increase the number of your customers.
- Better SEO. Efficient UX design contributes to your SEO ranking. If your website provides users with the necessary information in a fast and convenient manner, then the search engine will definitely love it.
- Higher brand loyalty. Great user experience not only allows your website visitors to navigate your website/ app without any trouble but also increases their loyalty towards your brand. When you put users in the center of your design, it helps to create a long-lasting relationship with them by giving them exactly what they need.
To sum up
So, what is design? It can be described with verbs like to create, execute, or construct according to plan. Basically, design can be perceived as a plan for the creation of new products or services to solve a specific problem.
The main meaning of design though is to put the user in the center of everything and take care of their needs first. It is aimed at transmitting correctly and effectively the intended message while focusing on your customers and what they expect from your brand.