OpenRoad + Mod7
Two pioneering organizations, together at last.
OpenRoad is pleased to announce the acquisition of creative agency Mod7.
Read the letter from our PrincipalWe Have A Visual Design Philosophy
Posted on May 11, 2010 in Design by Mod7
I've observed two schools of thought in interactive design practice.
I call them Process and Product.
Process stresses research, issues, insight... the journey. It tends to be conducive to achieving timelessness. It's often tech-agnostic.
Product stresses technology, the medium, the surface, the effect... the end result. It's often conducive to immediate temporal relevance. It can be tech-biased (that is, defined by what the capabilities of the technology can provide).
In each approach, well-executed visual solutions seem to hang on the notion of "concept", yet each approach uses differing approaches to achieve their ends. I like to think that the mod7 approach is a balance of the two schools of thought--we strive for a comprehensive visual design approach.
Great design comes from a deep understanding of several factors, including the nature of the message, who the audience is, and the context this all sits within. This comes from "process". Yet great design also comes from a deep understanding of the tools (their advantages and limitations), frameworks and affordances implied by new technologies and practical concepts. How else can you exploit design opportunities? This helps create the potential for the cross-pollination of cognitive domains. It fosters lateral thinking.
Put simply, you definitely need to have creative vision, but you also need to know how to execute your craft with skill and excellence. It's no good if your creative vision for a steel sculpture is awesome if you blow yourself up trying to use the welding torch. Or something like that.