Combining Beautiful Design with Function

Often times, we are stuck trying to figure out how to convey important information in a beautiful way. Here are 3 ways to effectively combine function and design.

1. We need to remember that design in itself is functional. The ability to create an offering of useful information in a way that attracts the eyes is important. Consider for a moment how a text based media expresses information. Newspapers, magazines and textbooks are all good examples of how design merges with a mass amount of information. While there are mountains of text in all of those examples, the information is laid out in interesting ways. The authors use images to express their ideas along side the text. Headings and text fonts and sizes all play into the design aspect.

2. Make the usual, unusual. While walking down the streets in Europe, I noticed how artistic those buildings were. The curved iron railings on the balconies in London, the flying buttresses on the Notre Dame, and even the intricate glasswork on the street lamps in Italy. Each of these items is an everyday item that we may simply walk past without noticing. However, with the artistic touches added in, something as mundane as a park bench becomes a work of art. Making functional items artistic is a big key to incorporating design with function.

3. Sometimes less is more. During the creative process, our brains are flooded with ideas. When narrowing down the options, remember not to include so many details that the information becomes lost in the design. Think of the design as the wrapping on a gift. The important piece is the gift inside, the wrapping is simply a way to display the gift. Overwhelming your design with too many images, flashing text, and sliding image displays will detract the reader from getting to the important items on the page.

Remember that design is a process. Many designers (if not all) go through several drafts before arriving at a final product. Using wireframes and design tools, like Photoshop, are all great ways to play with designs to get the look and feel you need. When faced with a project that incorporates lots of text or functional pieces, remember to display the information in a way the reader can capture the important pieces.