Timeless Principles of Good Design

Timeless Principles of Good Design from my 2015 Presentation at TYPO SF

1. TYPO SF 2015
CAROLINA DE BARTOLO

2. GOOD THINGS COME IN

3. GOOD THINGS COME IN

4. IF YOU TWEET ABOUT IT

5. THREE PRINCIPLES OF

6. ACCORDING TO

7. WHO IS THIS GUY?

11. MARCUS VITRUVIUS POLLIO
C. 80BC–15 BC

12. TEN BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE
DEDICATED TO AUGUSTUS

23. WHY IS THIS OLD

26. WHAT THE HECK IS

28. IF YOU HAVE TO ASK

29. ?

30. “How can we
distinguish good
from bad?”—Phaedrus

34. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT

35. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
:)

36. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT

37. FITNESS
FIRMNESS
DELIGHT
:(

38. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
GOODNESS

40. PRINCIPLE 1
GOOD IDEA/BAD IDEA

41. EQUIVALENCIES TO FITNESS

42. Do we need it?
How much do we need it?

44. Just
what
I need.
It’s
handy!
So
useful!
We should
make that.
What a
great idea!Wish I’d
thought
of that!

45. Why
would
I need
that?
It’s
useless!
How
stupid!
Bad idea!
Such a
waste of
time.
No one
will ever
buy that.

48. 0%
100%
RELIABLE
USEFUL
BEAUTIFUL
WIKIPEDIA

51. 0%
100%
USABLEUSEFUL
DESIRABLE
TYPEWRITER
1920s

52. 0%
100%
USABLEUSEFUL
DESIRABLE
TYPEWRITER
TODAY

55. PRINCIPLE 2
MAKES SENSE/NO SENSE

56. EQUIVALENCIES TO FIRMNESS

57. Does it work?
How well does it work?

58. Crystal
clear!
Feels
solid.
It’s super
well-made.
It’s easy
to use! I get it.
It’s very
readable.
Built
to last.
This thing
works like
a dream!

59. Piece
of sh*t.
Huh?
This just
makes no
sense.
I don’t even
understand
how to use it.
Seems
cheap.
I can’t
read it.
It
broke.

62. 0%
100%
INFRASTRUCRUE
INFORMATION
JE NE SAIS QUOI
UNICODE

65. PRINCIPLE 3
LIKE/DISLIKE

66. EQUIVALENCIES TO DELIGHT

67. Is it cool?
How cool is it?

68. It’s to
die for.
It’s
fresh!
Better
than
sex!
I don’t know
why...but I
just want it.
I love it!
It always
makes me
smile!

69. I don’t
like it.
It’s in
bad
taste.
Been there,
done that.
Meh.
It’s
boring.
That’s just
not my style.

74. 0%
100%
READABLE
INNOVATIVE
COOL
FANCY M

78. “How can we
distinguish good
from bad?”—Phaedrus

79. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
GOODNESS

80. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

81. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

82. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

83. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

84. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

85. 0%
100%
FIRMNESSFITNESS DELIGHT
BADNESS

86. 33+33+34
GOODNESS
FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT

87. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
GOODNESS

88. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
BADNESS

89. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
BADNESS

90. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
GOODNESS

91. FIRMNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT
GOODNESS

95. Fitness Firmness Delight
Utilitas Firmitas Venustas
Useful Usable Desirable
Commodity or Utility Functionality Beauty or Aesthetics
Invent Solve Create
Business Science + Technology Arts + Humanities
Does anyone need it? Does it work? Is it cool?
How much do we need it? How well does it work? How cool is it?
What? Who? When? How? Why? How?
“It’s a bad idea.” “It doesn’t make sense.” “I don’t like it.”
People + Public Principles + Practices Passion + Pulchritude
Message Legibility Composition
Information Hierarchy Proportion or Elegance
Entrepreneur Engineer Designer
Competitiveness Reliability Originality
Innovation Planning Presentation
Possibility Coherence Manifestation or Expression
Environment Infrastructure Application
Need Craft Style
Head (idea, vision) Hands (construction) Heart (feeling, intuition)
“...changing existing situations “The fewer moving parts “Je ne sais quoi.” —Je ne sais qui
into preferred ones.” —Herbert Simon the better.” —Engineering maxim
01 Vitruvius
02 Contemporary
03 Noun
04 Verb
05 Field
06 Yes/No Q
07 Degree Q
08 Wh Q
09 Criticism
10 Concern
11 Typography
12 Subject
13 Profession
14 Strategy
15 Activity
16 Thinking
17 Platform
18 Culture
19 Body
20 Quote

97. FIRMNESS
FITNESS FITNESS
FITNESS
DELIGHT FIRMNESS
FIRMNESS
FIRMNESSFIRMNESS
FIRMNESS

98. GOOD THINGS COME IN

100. THANK YOU!