brainstorms

Tuesday December 28, 2004

lupton's free advice

selections from ellen lupton's wonderful thinking with type appendix free advice [comments in brackets mine]

think more, design less: many desperate acts of design ae perpetrated in the absence of a strong concept. a good idea provides a framework for design decisions, guiding the work. [software designers often start with a good idea, but manage to tear it apart and bury it in the process.]

say more, write less: just as designers should avoid filling up space with arbitrary visual effects, writers should remember that no one loves their words as much as they do. [good advice for most bloggers]

make the shoe fit, not the foot: Rather than force content into rigid containers, create systems that are flexible and responsive to the material they are intended to accomodate. [most software designers confuse flexibility with features]

build the discourse: Design is social. It lives in society, it creates society, and it needs a society of its own - a community of designers commited to advancing and debating our shared hopes and desires. Read, write, and talk about design whenever you can. [amen]

(2004-12-28 20:00:08.0) Permalink Comments [0]