What is design?​​​​​​​

Our world can be divided into two parts: the natural world, and the human made world. We cannot design the natural world because it already exists, and it is perfect and beautiful. But, we can design the human made world. We design to make things better. Buildings shelter us and keep us safe, clothing lets us live in cold places, a computer lets us calculate and communicate, a bicycle lets us travel a distance with ease, a car lets us travel even farther, and we can do a journey on a ship or an aeroplane that would be impossible by foot. Buildings, clothing, computers, bicycles, cars, ships, and aeroplanes are designed by humans. So are roads, bridges, ports, schools, hospitals, cities, and everything else that is human made. Human made things must be designed first, and then made. Most of the things that you own and that surround you are either handmade or manufactured in factories around the world. Everything that humans make can be improved. When we try to make things better, we are designing. People who do design are called designers, engineers, and architects. There are many kinds of designers, such as fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, software engineers, civil engineers, architects, and many more.

Questions to ponder​​​​​​

• What things can we design?
• What things can be improved by designing?
• What do these designers design?
  • Fashion designers?
  • Graphic designers?
  • Interior designers?
  • Mechanical engineers?
  • Electrical engineers?
  • Software engineers?
  • Civil engineers?
  • Architects?
• Is anyone you know a designer? If so, what do they design?
• Do you know anything that is badly designed? Why is it so?
• Do things get better every time that people design them?
• What things cannot be designed?