Design@SAIF - Issue #25

Allo, allo - thats been the oft used word of last week with way too many articles advocating the joys, perils, pitfalls and an opinion piece on why Allo is a solution in search of a problem.Also, after a long long time, I stumbled upon this wonderful quote from the Shakers (no, they're not a Heavy Metal Band)—

"Don't make something unless it is both made necessary and useful;but if it is both necessary and useful,don't hesitate to make it beautiful." 

Shakers are a three century old religious sect with an unfailing devotion to good design. They were the first to design, amongst many other things—clothes pin, circular saw and washing machine. Here are a handful of links revisiting the timeless appeal of the Shakers' Design Philosophy. But there's more, plus a call to save-the-dates! 

The principles of honesty, utility, and simplicity read like a modernist's credo, but those were the core design values of the Shakers, a radically conservative religious sect from England that settled in America in the late 1700s.

The Shaker design philosophy is one of prioritization: their main priority is to be necessary and useful. Then, once that has been achieved, make something beautiful. To me this is a great way to explain design, without sacrificing beauty or expression of the designer.

And Non-Shaker...

What's the recipe for a great product? That's the billion dollar question that designers may spend their whole lives chasing. And the most nebulous ingredient, user experience, is also the most important. UX extends to a remarkably diverse range of products.

Not strictly Design, but by Design...

A "fundamental decisioning philosophy" my colleague Mridul eloquently explained to me a long time ago, and I believe a must read for all...

Plus, save the dates...

For DesignUp - The Design For Startups Conference in Bangalore Nov 12 and 13th (Sat and Sun)! For more updates follow DesignUp on Twitter or The DesignForStartups Page on Facebook