Vote: Does Design Matter? On bnet.com
Jennifer LeBlanc
I just found this great blog posting and conversation on bnet.com (fabulous site BTW) about “Does Design Matter?” Of course, being a marketer and design fanatic, I had to click through and read it.
The site has a fun poll going about whether design is a buzzword, a passing fad, here to stay, or going to transform management (I’m not sure I’m quite that much of a believer …). What do you believe? Vote:
http://blogs.bnet.com/business-books/?p=274&tag=nl.rSINGLE
Thought all you design aficionados out there might enjoy the poll and the heated discussion going on right now! Enjoy!
Until next week,
Jenn
Jennifer is a talented marketing strategist with over 12 years experience in building results-driven branding programs. She has been involved in numerous brand integration initiatives for high-growth companies including PeopleSoft (SkillsVillage and Vantive integration) and Nektar (merger of Inhale, Shearwater and Bradford Particle Design). She is known as a visionary leader with a passion for innovation and for getting the job done right and on time. She has published dozens of scientific, environment and health articles for a variety of publications and online media outlets including Discovery Channel Online, and speaks on branding, marketing metrics and marketing strategy. http://www.thinkresultsmarketing.com/
August 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I definitely vote “Here to stay!”
Design is what turns a merely functional item (whether that be a can opener or an organization) into a thing of beauty and grace that is a joy to engage with.
It may seem like a subtle thing, but design is as important to life as function.
Here’s an example from my own life. My husband and I are foodies - we get a great deal of pleasure from exploring the world of healthy and tasty foods. Several years ago, we decided to get rid of our accumulated mix-and-match, castoff flatware and spend what seemed at the time to be a rather large sum of money at the time on a new set. We spent a great deal of time looking until we found a set that was nicely weighted and balanced, had a simple and almost zen-like design and felt wonderful in our hands.
Using these utensils while eating has enhanced every meal we’ve eaten at home since then. It’s been almost 10 years since we bought that set, and yet as recently as this month hubby remarked once again on how much he still enjoyed using them and how much visual and tactile pleasure they added to his meals.
That’s the power of design - the power to bring joy and light and beauty into a life that could be merely adequate. The human soul craves beauty, recognizes it and responds powerfully to it. Design is the means to provide that vital spark.