Process and Material
Design is therefore inseparable from consideration of material and process, with which the designer must be acquainted; without this technical knowledge it is impossible to take full advantage of the method of production either in the direction of economy or effect.
Other considerations are utilitarian and æsthetic, the former having regard to purpose, the latter to appearance.
That mere utility is not in itself sufficient is evident; the common enamelled saucepan and the medicine bottle are certainly utilitarian, but no one would assert that they are satisfying from the æsthetic point of view.
An important consideration in design is the “market” which is governed by popular or individual demand.
Those who pay the piper call the tune, and the designer has often to work to prescribed conditions.
This apparently implies restriction of individuality, but the designer who refuses to conform will probably find the market even more restricted.
It also implies that he must be well versed in the various styles or historic tradition, so that his work, if desirable, may be in harmony with existing environment; but in these circumstances it is quite possible to produce work that is individual and distinctive.
Designers, craftsmen and manufacturers are all dependent upon public demand, which must be taken into account, and their business is as far as possible to raise the general standard of taste, by producing of their best. Any attempt on their part to insist on what shall or shall not be done would undoubtedly result in failure.
To sum up, the designer must not only be an accomplished draughtsman well versed in traditional ornament and style, but it is necessary that he should cultivate the imaginative and perceptive faculties; and, in addition, the commercial qualities of promptness and business insight.