Comments on: Design is about working within constraints

By: Rolando PoncedeLeon

Rolando PoncedeLeon — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:16:00 +0000

I agree, the fact that we deal with constraints all the time is the main reason why an experience designer is crucial to get the job done.
In my experience, specially at corporate levels this subject is a blurred line that often creates confusion where constraints are associated with inefficiencies, because the goal is to have an instant out of the box solution to create websites sort of one size fits all approach that simply doesn’t work in the design / front end environment.

By: chillfinn

chillfinn — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:44:00 +0000

design without constraints is indeed art

By: Mathias Denichi

Mathias Denichi — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:45:00 +0000

In my opinion, everything in design is a balance between marketing and finess. These constraints of marketing, get a function out the design, and I feel spawns more creativity.

By: Leigh Howells

Leigh Howells — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:42:00 +0000

Completely agree, working within constraint is healthy, I know all too well about paralysis by choice. Every new project is defined by new and different constraints and that’s what makes it a challenge. Constraint is what defines us as web designers.

By: Leigh Howells

Leigh Howells — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:42:00 +0000

By: Neil Sweeney

Neil Sweeney — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:13:00 +0000

I think constraints are fun in a weird way; they do make you look at a problem and think of a way to solve it. This links back to something Jeffrey Zeldman said he does with his daughter and her Crayons in that he removed a few of them to force a more creative approach to making a picture; so if she wants to make grassy scene but has no green then she must create a new way of showing grass.

That’s how I go about things now, I create (natural) constraints in a project to force a creative approach to create something more unique and hopefully even better than it would have been.