William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle discusses that all design has a signal of intent. What is it that your product is trying to accomplish? His point is that if modern design is trying to accomplish the devastation of our environment then it’s well on course. This was the example that came to mind when explaining why asking the simple question of why is so critical.

Just as important as having that golden nugget of an idea is the follow through. Have you worked on something that you knew was going to be brilliant yet at the end fizzled? Somewhere in the process the initiative is lost and the original message gets muddled. Establish an intent and stick to it.

Design is a great deal about upfront snap judgements and decisive decisions. It’s like playing chess. The more you learn about the game the more you realize how crucial the opening move is. Each subsequent action is meant to achieve the original goal. Design is like this. You need to decide early on whether you are going to play defensively, offensively, bluff offensive then go defensive, bluff defensive and go offensive, etc etc.

When you begin any process ask yourself what your intent is. Are you making the world’s easiest orange juicer? The most desirable toaster? Is it that you are trying to show that no matter what happens we guarantee that you’ll have a fun time with our brand? Whatever it is that you decide on this needs to be promoted throughout the entire process. If you have to, write it on a large banner, post it on the wall and anytime anyone deviates from the plan (including you) point to it.

Intent is key in good design. I look to the greats for inspiration. Philippe Starck is fixated on bringing joy to the mundane (just look at his hair). Karim Rashid is intent on elevating design comprehension. Bruce Mau wants to invigorate design education. Each of these personal brands have a high level goal and if you explore their bodies of work you will see that it filters judiciously through out.

If you establish an intent the details fall into place. Let’s say that my ambition is to exude a sense of youth with my product which is an automobile. The new VW Beetle did an excellent job of achieving this with a flower vase built into the dash. On the other hand did the overall perception of the vehicle have a mass appeal or did it get stuck in hippie mom territory? Maybe that was the intent.

Raymond Loewy, the father of modern industrial design pioneered the concept that if a product is meant to go fast it should also look fast. He created streamlined pencil sharpeners because they were supposed to sharpen your pencil rapidly. He’s famous for making locomotives look fast because they had to exude futuristic celerity. Every single facet of your design should sweat your intent.

If you want something to seem expensive make it heavy or throw on some diamonds. Apple goes to great lengths to make their products feel quality. The hard edges and low manufacturing tolerances are signs of swiss-watch-like precision. You don’t need to be an industrial designer to appreciate their obsessive devotion to mass producing surgical grade hardware. Every move that they make projects this intent and bolsters their image right down to the black turtlenecks and new balance shoes.

Lastly, when coming up with your intent remember to keep your target demographic in mind. Human beings require more than simple needs and wants. They need more than to get from point A to point B. They want to do it efficiently. They desire not to look stupid while in transit (Segway).

What is your intent?

Extra Credit Video - William McDonough Cradle to Cradle Ted Talk