There are several professions within the realm of ‘design.’ There are those that design buildings, those that design landscapes, those that design web-pages, magazines, posters, corporate identities, shoes, clothes, furniture, interiors, books, video games, theatrical sets, etc. You get the point. But what is design? Is it the creation of something? If that were so, wouldn’t designers be better labeled as creators? Okay, so take anyone who ‘creates’ something--say a construction worker, or pipe-fitter. These aren’t designers. They follow plans to create something. One could say they are the mediators through which a design is created. So, back to the creators. Some famous creators are Picasso and Pollock. Designers? No, they are artists, right? So what’s the difference between an artist and a designer? Would you say utility? An artist creates something that has no or little utility, while a designer creates something with utility. A magazine designer creates a spread to convey information, an architect designs a house to provide shelter, a fashion designer to cover-up and provide warmth. Is an artist capable of design? Indeed. Is a designer capable of art? Absolutely. Are some designs considered art? Yes, of course. But the line between design and art is utility, between creation and design is the unique thought. Design serves the purpose of solving a problem. Sure there are creative and not-creative ways of solving problems, just as there are ugly and pretty ways to do it. Design has been inherently linked to aesthetics. When someone says they are a designer, the mind associates that with the manipulation of some medium to come to an aesthetically pleasing solution for a problem. If design is linked to problem solving and aesthetics, does that make a designer the link between engineering and art? I like to think yes.
Besides finding a solution to a problem, what purpose does design serve? Is a piece of furniture designed to evoke emotion? A web-page to communicate a certain attitude? An interior to create an ambiance? A book’s cover to relate to its contents? Maybe, yes, indeed, and certainly. So what then, is the ultimate design profession? Wouldn’t it be one that can employ the manipulation of the most senses to create a frame of mind? Or would it be one that can most thoroughly move someone [number of senses employed being irrelevant]? That, I feel is a great discussion. I do not know the answer, but I do have two professions that I feel best represent both sides.
First things first, the designers that manipulate the most senses are of course culinary designers. Their designs not only satisfy a fundamental requirement for life, but can do so to such an extent as to deliver people to near orgasmic satiation. Think back to the best meal you’ve ever had. That first bite, did you not proclaim, mouth still full of un-chewed food, something to the effect of a deep guttural “oh yea” followed by a series of moans? The flavors dance on your palate, filling your mouth with joy. Cooking employs all the senses: first you smell the flavors hang in the air, either like a heavy cloud of musky earth like cumin, or dance and twirl lightly as with citrus. Then the sound of crisp lettuce being chopped or of a sauce sautéing makes its way to your ears. You then get to see the food presented. A good chef will combine ingredients with complimenting colors so your eyes almost swell with the textures, color, and architecture of the food. Then, finally you get to the best part: the taste. Each bite fills the mouth with sweet, savory, spicy, bitter, or sour, sending signals of pleasure to your brain. That’s why some foods can be so decadent or delicious that you are rendered incapable of recognizable speech. Simultaneously, you feel the food in your mouth, under your knife or fork: crisp, smooth, slimy, crunchy. By the end of the meal, you have undergone an unadulterated assault on all your senses, leaving you full, tired, satisfied, and happy.
One of my culinary creations: sundried tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, zucchini, and italian sausage on a bed of mushroom risotto wrapped in carrot shavings and garnished with enoki mushrooms and black lava salt.The designers that are the best at manipulating you are directors. Actually, it is the sum of parts that manipulate you, but I give credit to the directors, as they hold the vision that creates the product. They conduct the orchestra, so to speak. Think of your favorite movie. Think of the last movie that moved you to tears. Think of that movie that had you on the edge of your seat, palms sweaty, eager to see what’s next. How many times have you left an action flick hopped up and ready to kick down a door or engage in a gun-fight? What about that scary movie that had your heart racing or jumping in your seat? It’s these types of powerful experiences that keep people going back to the movies and the directors do it with only two senses at their disposal. A good director will control what you see and when and pair that with the appropriate sound. Sound has so much to do with a movie that it’s hard to notice. Watch your favorite movie on mute. You know the story already, so you don’t need the words, but I guarantee you will notice things in the film you hadn’t before. It’s because you no longer have the sound to dilute the picture. Conversely, listen to the soundtrack of a movie. Notice how the music emphasizes the moments of tension. A great example of this is the Dark Knight. Those creepy tension-mounting strings in the beginning rub you in just the wrong way to almost make you cringe. I tip my hat to the good directors who have vision enough to sew such a complex and complicated stream of images and sound together to create the intended feelings—and to do it so thoroughly as to quicken hearts, conjure tears, or lubricate palms.
To emphasize the importance of proper music in a film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf7h6o3I8yw
I thoroughly enjoy being a designer. Perhaps it’s arrogance that sees my job as controlling an experience through the manipulation of your senses, or perhaps not. Either way, I feel that in order to be a good designer, one has to understand how certain aspects will affect a person and to utilize them appropriately. It would not, of course, be prudent to create a park that evoked a feeling of tension, danger, or fear. As a designer, you need to understand how your product will be used and how to best control the user’s experience so that they may want to use it again.
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