As a response to a lecture, by exploring design with a purpose, how user friendly design is essential. Today there are many of require aid from design and it is clear that something is able to be made in order to help this individual. Rather than design for aesthetic reasons, the intention of the market is considered to pinpoint these requirements.

In the lecture, Stephen Doe’s educational mural which is part of a Liberian program was provided as an example of design with purpose by providing essential information about ebola. The mural grabs any attention in the vivd red which immediately provides a warning message, the words and diagrams are also recognisable and simple, thus thus design has a purpose to warn and inform. It is for the means of practicality and not for aesthetic, where the pictures are informative enough and are easier and quicker to understand for the low literacy rate in the country.

The point was also made that information signs, such as train time boards, are always written in yellow. It is a bright colour which stands out to the human eye and invigorates, thus we can see design for a purpose. Having important information in that bright and attention grabbing manner has more positive connotations than using a colour such as red which is equally as eye-catching but has connotations of danger. therefore it is clear that the design of informative signs aids the user.

Watching a Ted Talk by Philippe Starck, who demonstrates this necessity of the consideration of others within the design process of something. Written on his website is that ‘an object must be useful before being beautiful.’, this shows his desire for the practical over the aesthetic. His designs consider the natural world as well as the human world and focus of the simplistic in order to bring the design closer to the subject.

An example of design which considers these factors is Ford’s Third Age Suit as mentioned in the lecture. It is designed with a purpose in mind, to understand the difficulties of elderly drivers, and then able to inform the design of other objects. It therefore allows the designers to see a product from an alternative perspective and create as detailed image it can which is essential as not everyone will experience things in the same manner. Having sympathy and understanding of others is essential in design today due to the multitudes of needs of the market, which will in turn, when designing something in an informed manner, benefit the designer.

But are aesthetics are still important?