Design 101
My introduction to design was long-winded. First interested in art, then illustration, then digital illustration, then graphic design and finally, taking a step back to really look at design as a whole. I have no “expertise” in design but I have learnt that good design tells the right story. So my interest lies purely in design’s ability to communicate so primarily information design. But even realising that is what I am interested in was quite a journey so here are some of the things that I learned on the way.
My idea of what design was and what design actually is changed drastically.
There are so many different types of purposes of design from interior design to automotive design to fashion design to interaction design. The one that I am particularly interested in and will explore in subsequent posts is Communication Design. Pretty self-explanatory but ‘communication design’ the using design theory to create visuals that tell a specific story to the audience. Here is a primer to understand it better. Communication Design can be both a strategy/process as well as information design products.
If you want to learn more about other types, here are some resources:
Need an introduction to the different types of design that is out there? Here is a pretty good starting point.
For those broadly interested in the creation of visuals and texts for marketing or communication purposes, you want to learn more about graphic design. You can take this online course provided by the National Institute of Design or many other (free and paid) courses online that give you an introduction to graphic design.
IIDA is a great website to start with for anyone interested in interior design. They also have some webinars that you can listen to.
Interaction Design is the design of user interaction that allows peopel to navigate, create and share information. Coursera has an entire specialisation on Interaction Design with multiple courses that you can audit (for free) or pay for a certificate.