We often get asked the question, “What is Discommon?” And to that, there is no straightforward answer. From designing and mass manufacturing millions of medical accessories to incredible architectural installments, sneakers, consumer electronics, and even yachts, our view on the world of design and manufacturing is rooted in a deep and varied set of experiences.
And yet, there is some method to the madness that guides our decision-making process. In today’s article, we’re breaking down the four basic approaches to design strategy that we implement in our business.
The Discommon Automotive Icons Table
One: Design for Oneself
Designing for yourself is at once challenging and enjoyable. It requires a certain level of self-exploration in order to understand your design language, inspirations, and what truly reflects you.
There are many reasons to design for yourself. Most notably, these designs will help to define who you are as a designer or firm and influence how others perceive your work.
Two: Design for a Founder
Mind reading skills have entered the chat. Designing for a founder is at its core, the art of extracting the desired design language from his or her mind. Individuals who find themselves at the helm of a company are often creative visionaries. They may have a strong sense of what it is that they want, but being able to verbalize their desires is an entirely different story.
“I want it like, retro, but…modern…”
The process of pulling their vision out of them can involve drawing comparisons with known entities (we often use car brands as these are typically universally known, or even iconic designers) or creating comprehensive mood boards. The ultimate goal when designing for founders is not to just mimic your style but to develop a style that resonates with them.
Fuel Charger. A Discommon project.
Three: Design for an Established Brand
Working with established brands is a different beast entirely. These clients will come to you with their own defined style, design language, and brand guidelines. Integration of your work into their pre-existing world is absolutely essential.
You must adapt to replicate their brand while injecting a bit of your uniqueness into it. The most important advice we have to offer when working with established brands is to not skimp on the pre-work. Investing adequate time and effort upfront is essential in order to ensure compatibility in your approach and execution.
Four: Design for a Specific Demographic
Yes, of course, the end-user is always considered when executing design projects. But sometimes our projects ask us to directly solve a functional problem and in these instances, it is imperative that we keep the mindset of the end customer at the forefront of every decision we make.
In cases like medical devices or educational toys, where function drives the success, understanding the use case and ergonomics becomes a driving factor to the form.
In Summary
Knowing yourself as a designer, extracting ideas from startup founders, adapting to established brands, and solving customers’ functional problems: these represent four unique approaches to design strategy, each requiring different skills and strategies.
Learn to love them.
Design for oneself. A Discommon space.