Problem solving vs. Styling
The Red Rock Eater News Service featured an article today about Richard Saul Wurman’s Access guide to San Francisco, specifically how the 2001 edition sucks due to an abandonment of certain design principles.
It is common among design people to distinguish between two aspects of design: styling and problem-solving. These phrases are probably self-explanatory: styling refers to the more or less immediate perceptual impact of the design, whereas problem-solving refers to the way the design fits into the activities of the people who use it. Styling and problem-solving need not conflict, but design has been distorted throughout its history by an emphasis on styling at the expense of problem-solving.
•••
Posted to General Rants • 2001.12.14 (Fri) • 00:05
Comments
Post a comment:
Send This Story to an Enemy
• • •
