Chapter 3 What Are Design and Designing? 45 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Design and Designing Defined The word design is quite diffi cult to defi ne. Often, it is used to describe the appearance of a product. For example, when someone says, “I like the design of that sofa,” they are really saying, “I like the look of that sofa.” The word means much more than this, however. Think about how the word design is used in different places and also used in different ways. For example, you may have heard the term good design or heard someone say, “I like designing and making furniture for my house.” You are probably also familiar with other forms of the word, such as designer. A fashion designer creates clothes. An interior designer creates functional spaces in buildings. There are also designer clothes and designer sunglasses. From these examples, you see that the word design can be used as a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can be used to describe a fi nished product (Figure 3-2). When a person says, “I designed a set of shelves for the kitchen,” she is describing a creative activity. The word is being used as a verb. Also a verb, designing refers to generating and developing ideas for new and improved products and services that satisfy people’s needs (Figure 3-3). Thinking and working as a designer requires you to think about how a product should work (function), what it could look like (aesthetics), what materials are most appropriate (construction), how it will be made (manufactured), whether or not it will be safe to use, and what effects making and using it will have on the environment. Meeting Humans’ Needs Humans have a wide range of needs. At the most basic level, all humans need food, shelter, and clothing. Designers help meet these needs by creating ready-made meals, cups, stoves, lighting, housing, and jackets. Humans need to be safe and to feel safe, so designers have created products that protect us, such as vehicle air bags, medical devices, and crash helmets. Pause for Thought What products have you designed? What was their intended purpose? Who was the intended user? ©Springfree® Trampoline Inc. Figure 3-2. Examples of design used as a noun: a prosthetic hand and a trampoline. Steeper Group Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com Figure 3-3. Examples of design used as a verb: a fashion designer sketching on paper and a graphic designer sketching on a computer. REDPIXEL PL/Shutterstock.com