Simple questions…big results

Thomas Edison, who is probably best known for the light bulb, asked lots of questions. As an inventor, Edison was always learning and constantly sought new, better ways of doing things. He worked hard and studied things around him. As he himself said,

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Just like Edison, designers need to strive for excellence in what they do. Asking questions is an important part of that because questions help us to think more and work with a direction. After all, good design ties the action to the reason. Decisions should be made based on research and fact, not because “it just looks good.” A designer should be able to explain to a client the reasoning behind his or her color choices, font selections and image options. This very well might be what separates good designs from bad ones.

It’s a lot of work, though…asking why. That’s because it takes time and thought. But it’s worth it.

Sources:
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/thomas_alva_edison/
http://www.patentdrafting.com/edison.htm
http://edison.rutgers.edu/bio-long.htm