Soon after the start of my past career as an environmental educator, I learned the following about teaching, and the approach one takes to the practice.

Nearly a dozen years later, at the start of my career as a graphic designer, I discovered a similar principle holds true for graphic design.

Around that same time, I came upon a bit of self-understanding regarding my work and the topics I was addressing. While the following surely doesn’t apply to all designers, I have found the principle is typically true in my case, and perhaps grows stronger over time.

From the London-based furniture manufacturer Vitsœ (gotta love a furniture store that values bicycle transportation enough to place bike racks INSIDE their showroom):

Back in the early 1980s, Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him – “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises.” Aware that he was a significant contributor to that world, he asked himself an important question: is my design good design?

As good design cannot be measured in a finite way he set about expressing the ten most important criteria for what he considered was good design. Subsequently they have become known as the ‘Ten commandments’.

Here they are.

Good design is…
Innovative
Useful
Aesthetic
Self-explanatory
Unobtrusive
Honest
Durable
Thorough
Environmentally-friendly
As little design as possible