design can include lots of things from
graphics and illustration to art that
you would find in a famous Museum it's
easy to forget it's also boring everyday
stuff like your comb or toothbrush or
buildings and other man-made spaces like
public parks even what you use to get
around whether it's a car the bus or
something else is the product of some
form of design design isn't always
pretty ugly or even interesting at all
sometimes it's practical or so
commonplace that you don't really notice
it making an effort to be more aware of
design can help you see it in unexpected
places it can also help you see past
appearances - what really makes a design
successful useful or valuable but first
you need to know what to look for every
part of the man-made world was designed
with a specific purpose in mind learning
to look at these things with curiosity
can help you appreciate the jobs they do
it can also help you see the beauty and
value in things we normally take for
granted here's a simple example picture
a basic coffee cup it's designed to stay
sealed hold liquid and protect your hand
from heat now take a step back and
picture the entire coffee shop inside it
has its own unique style and decor while
outside there's a sign or logo that
advertises the business beyond that
there's the building itself the sidewalk
the parking lot even landscaping none of
this exists by accident it was all
designed by various people to provide a
certain service or experience once you
start noticing these things you might
notice something else you have opinions
about them for example most of us know
what it's like to get stuck in a poorly
designed parking lot or how annoying it
is when your coffee cup leaks or spills
these are basically failures of design
things that frustrate or disappoint us
or don't work the way that they're
supposed to the key is to ask yourself
where did the design go wrong look
closer and you can usually find the
answer take a chair for instance it
seems simple but there's a lot that goes
into making this design successful the
seat supports your body weight while the
backrest makes it possible to sit and
lean back comfortably it has four solid
legs and doesn't tip over at least not
easily start playing with these basic
details and you get mixed results what
looks cool unique or interesting doesn't
always work well in real life thinking
hard about a design and what it was
meant to do can help you measure how
successful it really is it can also give
you a place to start talking about
design and feeling more confident
sharing your opinion here's why that's
so important design things aren't just
for the people who make them they're
ultimately for the people who use them
people like you and me anytime you use
something that features some form of
design it should leave you feeling
satisfied whatever that means to you
thinking about design as something that
actually affects you can change the way
you look at the world it's part of
almost everything we see and do from the
spaces around us
to the little things that we can't live
without
[Music]
GCF global creating opportunities for a
better life