100% Design

Arriving at Earls Court, one of the first things I noticed were vinyl sentences strategically placed on the road, the pavement, the wall, the roundabout, the carpet... they were taking me on a journey. As I walked around the show I became involved in a game of discovery as I spotted more and more sentences such as ‚'008_is bath taps you can turn with your toes' and '062_answers new questions'. What did it all mean? Were they all related? Arriving at the centre of the show I discovered a large black board wall, and the answer to my question, or rather, the question to all the answers. 'What is good design?'

A concept put together by Richard Shed, is explained; 'What is good design? We asked 100 creative practitioners and industry specialists to answer this question in less than 20 words. The resulting quotes form a snapshot of thoughts and feelings that reflect the wide cultural, social and technological context of design in 2008. This list is by no means definitive and should act as an inspirational provocation for discussion and debate.'

I loved it. It was clever, it was an integral part of the show, it made me smile, and got me thinking. And so on my long tube journey home I wondered, how would I have answered?

Good design works, is clear, is thorough, is well thought through, is insightful, and importantly, makes you smile.

The list could go on, but if I had to give one answer it would be: Good design communicates - in the right place, and at the right time - and in doing so it gets people into action.

By Sarah Peake