Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't hide behind your slides. Practice your presentation until it becomes a seamless backdrop. You may
not get to change the entire world, but a great presentation can change your world!
14. Ways to Think Like a Designer
OK, so we know design matters. But can professionals and students outside the world of
design learn from designers? Can they learn from thinking like a designer? And what of
more specialized professions? Can medical doctors, scientists, researchers, and
engineers benefit from learning how a graphic designer or interactive designer thinks? Is
there something designers, either through their training or experience, know that we
don't? I believe there is.
Following are 14 things I have learned over the years from designers. During speaking
engagements throughout the world, I often put up a slide asking people to make as many
sentences as they can that begin with the word “Designers....” The goal of this activity is
to get people thinking about design, which is something most of us never do. This
exercise also gets people in the audience talking and loosening up a bit—always a
good thing. The sentences they generate range from “Designers wear black” to
“Designers use creativity and analysis to solve problems” and from “Designers make
things beautiful” to “Designers make messages clear,” and so on.
The following 14 items are basic qualities of good design, and they provide a solid
summary of the themes in my first topic,
Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on
Presentation Design and Delivery
(New Riders, 2007). Regardless of your profession,
