I came across an interesting idea today, I’m going to synthesize a bit, but it’s based on a lecture by Dieter Rams (who is deserving of his own article, and most likely will have one in the near future). Basically, the idea is that the goal of the designer should never be outstanding design. There is no such thing as outstanding design, it’s just an abstraction that is entirely unattainable. The goal is simply better design, better than what currently exists in some way. It could be easier to use, it could be more structured, or more aesthetic, but none of these things are outstanding, they are simple improvements.

It always feels like we are constantly looking for revolution in the style that is used, or the way that we approach a design in order to dazzle and amaze customers. This constant revolutionizing, however, leads to nothing but trends that crumble over the test of time. Timelessness, and good design stems from looking at where the design has come from, the study of the styles and movements that have shaped the modern age, then analyzing, and improving. This isn’t to say that a little revolution is a bad thing now and again, or else we wouldn’t have perspective — or photoshop, but the need for constant revolution ultimately hurts the end product.