Journal 2

The ten most important principles for design (according to Dieter Rams):

Good Design is Innovative- new age technology offers help in innovative design and offers never ending possibilities.

Good design makes a product useful- it will emphasize the usefulness of the product making it easier for the user to understand why they would need the product.

Good design is aesthetic- Things we use everyday might be ugly but can be designed to draw the viewer/ consumer in.

Good design makes a product understandable- Hopefully the product design is self-explanatory, drawing the viewer in.

Good design is unobtrusive- It should leave room for the viewer/ user’s self-expression.

Good design is honest- It does not make promises it cannot keep.

Good design is long-lasting- It should be able to last many years.

Good design is thorough, down to the last detail- Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Good design is environmentally-friendly- it conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product,

Good design is as little design as possible- less is better.

Don Norman on Design:

Basically He talks about ways in which functional design helps the overall product and feel. A functional design can make you happy, mad or even sad. He also talks about three main ideas on why humans like design; Visceral, Behavior, and Reflective. Visceral meaning when we are drawn to certain colors and the "feel" of the piece. Behavior meaning they are easily understood and make the viewer want to look at them. Finally Reflective meaning that the reasons behind why we buy things.

I think these theories can help my book covers by trying to keep in mind what will draw the viewer in and what will have the most effect on them in order to buy the book by the cover.