Erik's Design Philosophy

The purpose of design is to provide context and make sense of the surrounding world and our interactions with it. Form does not follow function if no one understands what the function is supposed to be. Being a designer does not mean make things pretty, design is a full bodied process beginning with an idea spanning to the interaction a viewer has with the design, if any at all. Design spreads much further than the aesthetics. Good design needs to begin at the fundamentals of meaning and through design provide an understanding. Design isn’t about sending a message; it is about creating meaning and telling a story. This meaning and story can then be sent out in a message. Erik’s initial understanding of what design is originates from an internship with Bennett Peji Design in San Diego. Erik worked closely with the team learning, from them, the detail and effort behind each design. It became clear that design was not about making something look nice, it was about developing a story and meaning, everything needs a purpose. Erik has since expanded his knowledge of design taking inspiration from the Swiss and De Stijl periods and adding his own twist. Design does not need to be simplified down to its most basic parts to be functional. In fact it should not because that only tells a very minimal story. Sometimes complex color, shape, and texture combine to create a functional story.