Does design matter? (Most importantly, does it matter to you?)
In 1919, Ugo Zagato left Officine Aeronautiche Pomilio to set up shop in Milan. His business was “the construction and repair of bodies for automobiles and airplanes.”
Zagato’s automotive designs were unique because he transferred techniques from aviation. Cars of the time were heavy, but Zagato reimagined them as lightweight structures with a frame in sheet aluminum just like an aircraft fuselage. His aerodynamic designs were quickly sought out by the racing community and over time, Zagato changed the shape of cars across Europe.
There is a story that in the 1930’s, a wealthy Milanese family took Zagato to court. You see, their son had purchased a “shockingly expensive” Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeo, were sure that Zagato had done something to induce madness in their son. The judge rejected their claim, saying: “The search for beauty is a most normal thing in a man.” [I would interject ‘in a human.’]
Is design expensive by nature?
Zagato is an early example of how design thinking transformed an industry — which in hindsight is easy to see. But as designers trying to explain our value on the front end, we often falter. It’s hard to describe value for something which is unique in every case it is applied to, and which is most noticeable when it is absent.
Design is part and parcel of luxury items. A Rolex isn’t the same as a Timex. But design doesn’t have to be more expensive. There is much design thinking in a Toyota Corolla — though no one would classify it as a luxury car.
While the product doesn’t have to be expensive, design itself costs you something. There is time going through the process, and the people who are the very best can’t be expected to work at low margin. (As someone who runs a design firm, I know it is an investment to get and develop the type of people who can play at the highest levels.)
The difference in those who choose design and those who don’t.
We live in a culture driven by reductionist thinking. Reductionism is the process of trying to understand complex things by reducing them to their parts. This is seen best in medicine when you visit your general practitioner for a migraine, then are sent to one specialist for your vascular system and another for your neurology with a sleep study at a different clinic in between.
Design thinking looks at the whole.
It starts with a mission, then begins to create the elements that facilitate that mission.
Our most successful clients — across the board, regardless of industry — are the ones who start with a mission, then apply design thinking to create the activities and facilities to meet that mission.
While most aspire to that, the enemy of design thinking is fear. Fear is what keeps us focused on the pieces and parts. Quite frankly, because they are easier to manage. (Fear is also the driver that devolves projects via committee or produces ego-driven choices.)
The interesting thing is that design-thinking — when done in a healthy process — subverts fear. It sparks the emotions of creativity and possibility. It shifts the client from their own point of view to the view of the people they are creating their project for.
These are the moments when design-thinking produces magic: when there is a group “aha” as a solution emerges that could have never developed by treating the project like a machine that must be assembled.
So, how do you prove the case for design?
IDEO is the poster child for the value of design thinking — in fact, they were the first to coin the term. Made famous by the design for the Apple mouse, they are hired to solve problems and rapidly iterate solutions. IDEO has revolutionized improvements in things from bicycles to breast pumps making the companies who produce and sell them extremely profitable.
John Maeda launched the #DesigninTech Report to explore the value of design in technology. The purpose of the report was to make the business case for design thinking. Key observations for 2017 include:
Design isn’t just about beauty; it’s about market relevance and meaningful results.
At top business schools, design thinking is moving into the curriculum — driven by market demand.
Both McKinsey & Co and IBM have recently made appointments at their most senior levels for designers.
One of my favorite stories in the tangible value of design thinking was shared by Rex Miller, in his book Change Your Space, Change Your Culture (Wiley, 2014) about the town of Columbus, Indiana — a mecca for architectural students.
It all started with a vision that J. Irwin Miller — head of Cummins Inc. and lifelong resident of Columbus — had in the 1950’s. The town had a problem. How could a small town attract the best engineers in the world? Miller saw architecture as a way to create social capital.
There are more than 80 buildings and sculptures designed by some of the most famous architects of the 20th century. In Will Miller’s 50-year study of community growth, economic health and school achievement comparing Columbus with similar communities, Columbus excelled in every category. The town had no peers.
The thing about the evidence for the benefits of design is that they are difficult to predict — and yet, you pay your designer up front.
Design interjects human emotion into projects
I’ve heard it said that: Data leads to conclusions, but engaged emotion leads to action.
Good design connects because we are emotive beings, and it is this potential for emotional engagement that gives design its true value. We are not bots. Normal, mundane things can be made extraordinary with thought and design.
We see it all the time. People fall in love with aesthetics. They fall in love with ideas. (People also fall in love with venues, which is truly appreciated by the design community.)
I believe Zagato intuitively understood the connection between design and emotion. (Which is why the Milanese plaintiffs were so sure it was madness. Their son fell in love with a car.)
This ability to cross from data to human connection is the highest value of design.
And clients who truly get this are willing to invest in the process.
//Want to learn more about what the designers at Idibri do? Connect with our team at Idibri.com.
