402

designing is not a profession but an attitude

Design has many connotations. It is the organization of materials and processes in the most productive, economic way, in a harmonious balance of all elements necessary for a certain function. It is not a matter of façade, of mere external appearance; rather it is the essence of products and institutions, penetrating and comprehensive. Designing is a complex and intricate task. It is the integration of technological, social, and economic requirements, biological necessities, and the psychophysical effects of materials, shape, color, volume and space: thinking in relationships.

László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946)

Moholy-Nagy, László, Vision in Motion, Paul Theobald, Chicago, 1947, p. 42.

303

Design confuses both designers and non-designers

• The value of design is in relation to the other parts of a company’s operations.
• Alone and isolated within a company, design is a microworld of aesthetic high-fives.
• The complexity of design interests designers, but the rest of your org doesn’t care.
• Design is all too often used as an attractive costume for a so-so idea.

John Maeda
2019 Design in Tech Report | Section 2 | About Design-Organizations. Page 23. March 10, 2019.