The Translation of Design

Teach the Power and Pride of Quality Design

Yesterday Apple unveiled their latest operating system, iOS7. I watched the launch live online and spent a few minutes last night with my daughters showing them the video on the Apple website. The video presented the new iOS and demonstrated the new features and general redesign of the interface.

While the initial intent was to show my oldest daughter, who is a huge iPhone user, the new features and new design, the real benefit became apparent as we were watching and discussing.

The importance of quality and translation of design, to all parts of your life, is paramount.

What does this mean to you? It means you should always strive to issue quality over quantity. Quantity can always be achieved, quality is unique and personal. The quality of whatever you do should be the best you can provide. Apple figured out a long time ago that how a product feels, how it fits in your hand, how it looks is much more important than just accomplishing the intended function.

Let your kids know how they represent something, how they create something, and how that end product looks is just as important as what it does. This could be their nightly homework, a school project, or simply coloring on the restaurant menu. The attention to detail and pride in ownership of something they create should be instilled in them from a young age.

It’s important to recognize little things and how they combine to form something that maybe our subconscious minds don’t let us realize is stunning. You may look quickly at the interface and agree it’s “nice.” But, looking deeper and analyzing each of the small features and how they are put together really gives you a better appreciation for the attention to detail and the extent of care put into it. As you start to add up all of the little touches, you really start to think beyond the core functions and it starts to take form as an art.

Pay attention to the small details. Find unique and inspiring ways to represent something. I recently tried to instill this in my daughter with her photography class. Don’t just take a simple picture. Get on the ground, point the camera at different angles, and present the image to the viewer in a unique way. Don’t be normal. Think different, add an amazing level of attention to detail, and present a product that the end user really loves (even if they can’t put their finger on why). When I looked at her proofs over the course of the year, I noticed the little things in her pictures. The way the trees were balanced in the frame. The symmetry of lines between objects and their spatial alignment in the image. The unique angles and dramatic positions. You may look at the pictures and think they look “nice.” But dig deeper, analyze and appreciate what the artist put into it.

I’ve always been the creative type. I’m analytical yet use my right brain constantly and thrive on the creativity of design. I think this has helped me in my profession of solution architecture. Creating and defining complex solutions, with artistic creativity, is at the root of my profession.

Teach your kids to use their creativity, take pride in the power of design, apply the principles of quality workmanship across all areas of their life, and create something they’ll be proud of.