The Importance of Design

Design isn't decoration. It's not about making things look nice or adding a veneer of style to an otherwise functional object. Design is about solving problems, clarifying intent, and making life easier for the people who use what we create.

Good design is invisible. When something is designed well, you don't notice the design—you notice how easy it is to use, how natural it feels, how it just works. Bad design, on the other hand, announces itself constantly through friction and frustration.

Less, but better

Dieter Rams famously said "Less, but better"—Weniger, aber besser. It's a principle I return to constantly. Not minimalism for its own sake, but the discipline to remove everything that doesn't serve a purpose. Every element should earn its place.

This applies to physical products, digital interfaces, and even communication. What can we remove? What's essential? Where can clarity replace complexity?

Design is how it works

Steve Jobs understood this intuitively. "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like," he said. "Design is how it works." The aesthetics matter, but they're in service of function. Beauty and usability aren't competing goals—they're inseparable.

When I'm working on a project, I try to ask: Does this make the experience better? Does it help someone accomplish what they're trying to do? Or is it just noise?

Everyday objects

The best design often shows up in everyday objects we take for granted. A well-balanced chef's knife. A door handle that communicates how it should be used. A typeface that's readable without drawing attention to itself.

These things don't shout about their design. They simply work, reliably and elegantly, day after day. That's what I aspire to create.

Why it matters

In a world drowning in complexity and distraction, good design is an act of generosity. It respects people's time and attention. It reduces cognitive load. It helps people focus on what matters.

That's why design matters. Not because beautiful things are nice to have, but because thoughtful design makes life measurably better for the people who interact with what we create.