Daniel O'Donnell Graphic Design Blog

Nike's Cheif Design Officer, John Hoke, is not a shoe designer. John is just a designer passionate about shoes. Obviously he designs shoes, but shoe design isn't his only discipline. John has an appreciation for the  Porsche 356 Speedster Cabriolet. John has a model of the Porsche on his shelf in his office, and when the interviewer mentioned it he went on about its design and the philosophy behind it. Being able to recognise those design elements in other mediums takes a true designer, and shows that he is more than just a shoe designer.

Niels gives some subtle lessons in design, in his overview of his new (in 2002) chair. One of the main things he points out is that it's important to know that the end user is stubborn, in his case they probably won't end up adjusting his chair even though it has a high degree of variability. Another thing is that often parts of your design will inform other parts of the design, much like how the headrest was made to move while reclining the chair.

Bad design is bad. It's immediate when you see it, it's just bad. Like when citroen changed their timeless logo, or when street signs convey a poor message. You know immediately upon seeing it that it is bad. It's all about conveying a clear cut message, and when that message doesn't get across you have failed as a graphic designer.