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The Shape of Design: Discovering Why

Why?

Why? is a curious question that young children ask all the time. It’s also one few adults ever ask. We learn to methodically drown out our curiosity, accepting the things that are as absolutes and standards and the way things must be. We’re fenced in by the things we’ve already seen and experienced, and think there’s no other way to look at the world.

Frank Chimero’s new book, The Shape of Design, shows why we need to bring back the Why questioning. It is not enough to simply try to be creative, because by default, we’ll bring our existing ideas into the picture. We’ll ask for a faster horse. Instead, we must step back and look at the larger picture, and as Why this is needed and what is supposed to be accomplished in the first place. We’ll find what end we’re working for, and quit focusing on one way to deliver it but instead look for new ways to accomplish that goal.

Why is usually neglected, because How is more easily framed. It is easier to recognize failures of technique than those of strategy or purpose, and simpler to ask “How do I paint this tree?” than to answer “Why does this painting need a tree in it?” The How question is about a task, while the Why question regards the objective of the work. If an artist or designer understands the objective, he can move in the right direction, even if there are missteps along the way. But if those objectives are left unaddressed, he may find himself chasing his own tail, even if the craft of the final work is extraordinary.

except from Chapter 1

You might not think of yourself as a designer. Yet, in our own ways, we each can apply the principles taught here to our work, crafting our own work in a way to make them the best possible answer to the Why behind them. Whether you’re writing or cooking, building or demolishing, we can do our best work when we’re conscious of our decisions and make the best choices possible for our work. We’ll choose the best tools, and create the best work, when we know Why we’re doing what we’re doing.

I’m convinced that the world would be a better place if everyone thought through the things they do and say before they do them. Perhaps, it’s time to take a design approach to life. That is what separates the artist from the rest of us, what makes the best designs and products stand out, and what makes the best speeches and stories become famous. It's what makes the "crazy ones" stand out, question the status quo, and then change things. It’s discovering the shape of design.

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