Let’s Look at Design

“Paint the back of the fence, because you’ll know.”

-Steve Jobs’ father–intended to help instill pride in craft.

Today’s focus is on design and implementation, and it’s importance in any endeavor.  Here are a few notable articles on various aspects of design:

• Extraordinary Design Lessons From 4 Companies That Changed the World | Inc.com (Hat Tip: James Wesolowski) – Great form, which refuses to sacrifice great function, is hotter than ever. Last year, the Design Management Institute and Motiv published a study claiming that design-driven companies outperformed the S&P by 228 percent over a period of ten years.
• Which is Better:  UI vs UX – Irrespective of the key points of difference between the two design attributes, there are some professionals who consider the two terms viz: UX and UI either as the same thing or opt for lumping the two attributes into a single attribute, ending up in using them inappropriately.
• The 10 Best Free Design Tools That You Can’t Live Without – If you work with, or on, creative teams, you’re probably like us – always on the lookout for new tools and apps to help complete your various projects. The good news? There is no shortage of choices when it comes to purpose-built tools for creative teams. The bad news? The vast majority are prohibitively expensive, and it’s not clear that their value will exceed the cost and time required to get the expense approved. No problem! We’ve got you covered. We’ve polled members of our community and came up with a quick list of 10 best free design tools for you to review, and hopefully add to your toolbox. – See more at: http://blog.proofhq.com/best-free-design-tools-007309/#sthash.VmJbAFu6.dpuf
• 4 big trends shaping the UX design space – Whether they are aware of it or not, people take decision shortcuts and make experience evaluations based on intuitive emotional outcomes, rather than rational thought, which designers need to acknowledge, understand and leverage.

Study design principles on an ongoing basis–there are a lot of great design ideas and trends from which to choose.  Just be sure to choose something.

For more FileMaker specific design principles, check Designing FileMaker.