Why I Love Design

I often reflect on my past experiences to remind myself of the value of where I’m at today. Sometimes I wonder how and why I choose design as an occupation, not because I regret choosing it but because I actually really enjoy it. In today’s blog post I’m going to breakdown the reasons I enjoy design as I understand them currently. Whether you’re a designer who needs to pause and remind yourself why this job is important to you or you’re a small business owner interested in design, I hope this post inspires you and gives you insight into the mind of a designer.

1. Art

While art and design are separate disciplines, they work together to achieve a common goal. Since I was little, I enjoyed drawing, painting, and crafting. It wasn’t until high school that I discovered design. While art focuses on expressiveness, asking the viewer to interpret a message that is often vague, design seeks to clearly and compellingly communicate a specific message. In high school art classes, I would often seek to understand the message and meaning of a painting before I proceeded to paint it. Once I did paint it, my array of thoughts and feelings about the message were somewhat communicated but not spelled out, which is one of the beauties of art. Design, on the other hand, takes the concept of color and composition and instead of seeking to be merely expressive, clearly spells out a specific message (such as, “come to this event” or “now hiring”).

2. Serving

While I sometimes feel I am designing for myself for the satisfaction of clearly organizing and presenting ideas in an appealing way, the truth is design is completely about the viewer, or, in some cases, the user. Every concept and rule in design aims to create a clear, enjoyable experience for the viewer. The idea of hierarchy, leading, tracking, and contrast all are based off of what the viewer finds attention-getting and easy to read so they can focus on the message and not get hung up on confusing layout. The satisfaction of not only helping clients achieve their goals but also making an impact on the people they serve is very fulfilling.

3. Redemptive

Similar to the idea of serving, one commonly used definition of design is the pursuit of making things better. The Bible says that creation longs for the day of restoration (Romans 8:22). Taking a design or concept that was once poorly communicated and restoring it so that it reaches its goal is inherently fulfilling to people of all occupations. We constantly witness things breaking down or falling apart in our world, and we know deep down that this is not how God intended the world to be. Taking part in His work of a new heaven and earth involves restoration. Even though I might be practicing this in a small way, my work points to the future hope we have in Christ.

I hope this gave you something to think about! What draws you to design as either an occupation or something you consume in the day-to-day? Let’s talk about it in the comments!