"Do not make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both, do not hesitate to make it beautiful."

Design does not involve only making something work. It is also concerned with bringing it to life. Frank Chimero describes this concept as follows: nothing must be produced unless that thing is useful and is in demand. But when something is useful, there is no need to be ashamed to make it beautiful also. Beauty is not some additional embellishment. It is a way of showing care. When we create something that is beautiful we demonstrate respect to that individual that will use it and also to the object itself. Chimero tells a story of one of his professors. Once, the professor said that his work lacked more love. Initially, Chimero believed this required that he should be more technical. Perhaps he had to draw better or draw in a cleaner manner. But later he came to know the true meaning. The professor was telling him to put his heart into it not his hands only. We may produce work that appears right when we do it unemotionally. True craft needs feeling. It requires care, patience and gentleness. Care that we take in what we are making becomes a part of the finished object.

In order to elaborate this point, Chimero discusses the legendary violins that were created by Antonio Stradivari. These violins are hundreds of years, and people still say that they have warm and something special sound. This is not merely due to the fact that Stradivari was good. It is because he was working with care and love. Each of the pieces of wood was chiseled gradually and meticulously. Every detail was considered. His emotions remained locked up in the instrument. Whenever a person is playing one of his violins nowadays, he can still touch the hands of the maker. The love has been passing through time, it is as though his love has passed through time. Chimero likens this to the grip of a hand axe - one of the very first tools ever invented by man. This axe was created thousands of years ago and when we touch it we can feel this person who crafted it. They designed the tool so that it would fit into a hand. They polished it. They made it solid yet at the same time appealing to the eyes. This demonstrates that even the primitive man was concerned about functionality and looks. They desired things to succeed, but they also desired them to be quite natural.

Craft is said by Chimero to be the connection between thinking and making. It is not only the ability to work with tools. It is the decision to work slower, to listen and to commit a portion of yourself to your job. When an author does so, this trace remains hundreds of years. It is the same treatment which made the hand axe, that made beautiful buildings and old paintings and books and fine instruments. Throughout history all these creators are telling a message: "This is what we can make when we are really interested. Chimero further adds that there are no noises or chaos that mark the creation. It begins with quiet. He envisions the origin of the universe as not being a bang, but a silent one, a slow process of waiting. The concept is significant to design, as well. The best design begins with motionlessness and focus and is not a run. When we slow down, we get to know what is happening and develop something more valuable.

Ultimately, Chimero teaches that design does not involve exhibitionism. It is not the case of doing something big or flashy. It is of serene attending, sweet concentration, and affection. Good design is a good thing to work, it is meaningful and it has beauty within it. Beauty is a product of attention--of the willingness of the maker to make something sincere and considerate. And when we create in such a state of mind we abandon work that has human connection over time.