My Reflection

Reading Craft and Beauty made me think differently of design. Prior to this, I thought that design did not go beyond getting things to work and problem solving. However, through reading this chapter, I have realised that design is also driven by care, love and purpose. I remained under the Shaker saying, Do not make a thing, unless it is necessary and useful; but when it is, make it beautiful. It also made me realize that beauty is not an additional feature,it is the manner of demonstrating respect to the user and adding coziness to the work. Beauty causes something to come to life.

Reading the book, I got the feeling that I was working with a real, physical book and not only browsing the internet. The text was intimate, relaxed and meaningful. I also related to the story in which Chimero has a professor who told him that his work lacked more love. This made me consider my work and the ways in which I can take more heart into what I create. Good design is not noisy, full of bling and glitz, but rather silent, pensive and purposeful.

These decisions demonstrate that the work has been made by a real human being. They leave me with the impression that when they are designed with care, understanding and human hand, design is actually meaningful. Finally, Chapter Two allowed me to understand that beauty and usefulness are not adversaries, but they coexist. Art created with care, compassion, and time can leave an impression that is not functional. It is capable of bearing a meaning, emotion, and communication. That is what design ought to strive to achieve.

One of the passages of the chapter that have lingered in my memory: "Do not make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both, do not hesitate to make it beautiful."

I could relate very closely to this line. It is an easy-going feeling but with a very profound meaning concerning the reason why we create things. When I first read it, I paused. I have learned that it is highly important that it is useful, but that this is not a sufficient requirement. Something might be great, but lacking beauty or tenderness, it can be empty, cold and dead. The quote helped me realize how beauty is not an additional thing, and it is not adornment. Beauty is an attribute of respect - respect to the user, respect to the object and respect to the creation process.

My own work was another area that I viewed in a new light, as a result of the quote. In designing sometimes I concentrate too much on getting things right: the spacing, the layout, the function. But this line caused me to reflect on the way I make things, not necessarily what I make. It taught me that one should be kind when it comes to creating beauty. It demonstrates that the creator was concerned to an extent of going an extra mile.

The notion transformed my emotional attachment to design. It helped me understand that beauty is a gift of giving. When something is beautiful, it becomes like the creator left behind a little bit of his or her heart in the work. And as a user or viewer, you are able to sense that. It builds a private, human relationship - one that is not superficial. I wish to have this quote with me now when making my design. I would like to create something that is understandable, effective, and practical but also kind, considerate, and beautiful in its own right. This quote demonstrated to me that good design is not just about problem solving. It is also concerning the addition of something, a touch of tenderness, a touch of affection.