How do you choose a design style?
There are really two key things to keep in mind when choosing a design style:
Firstly, design is subjective. Something you might like, isn’t necessarily what someone else might like! That’s not a good or a bad thing, its just your style and it’s autobiographical; it’s about you and what you like, the things that have helped form you as a person get reflected in your design taste. Some people love the hard finishes of industrial style whereas others might like soft warmth of Scandi style Hygge interiors, neither a right or wrong, they just appeal to different folk!
Secondly, in terms of design styles its much easier to define what you don’t like. Generally we can be pretty wishy-washy about what we like, because the boundaries of different styles get blurred and there’s so many different things to like! What we are very good at deciding what we don’t like… and that can be a great starting point to get to where we want to be.
Design styles get a little trickier when working on commercial designs though, as we suddenly bring in the taste of lots of people and need to balance all of those out.
When working with clients, we’re here to help and guide, but ultimately to create the expression of them or their brand that works well and connects with their target audience. Especially when developing designs for businesses, we’d be looking at who the brand appeals to, what those people like and where we can push the design whilst still appealing to them. The last thing we want is to give the customers what they expect from a venue or retailer, that’s a sure fire way for them to get bored and move on to the place down the street with something new they’ve not seen before but the design still has to resonate with people and that’s the balancing act designers work with.
How to choose a design style right for you?
Take cues, create a style, gather inspiration, visual reminders, express with confidence etc.
Bare with me here but… you don’t really choose a design style so to speak, it sort of chooses you. That sounds a little Yoda like, but we generally develop what we like and don’t like over time, which is why its so autobiographical.
When it comes to a commercial design, clients often see what others are doing and like elements or overall styles and we build out from there. This might be virtually via platforms like Pinterest, blogs or design websites or physically by visiting the store or venue and liking what they see. This generally forms the design cues we can build out from, with a client saying “we like this” (or “we don’t like that”) and we can develop that into our brief and build up a design style that fits that overall style.
As with everything, there are also clients who throw us a bit of a curveball. This could be something like taking a steer from a book or the overall look of a movie (The Great Gatsby and Alice in Wonderland have been recent trends) and they can offer a nice challenge for us to take on. Other times, a client just won’t know what they’re looking for at all and we can help guide them into a style that we think would work for the business and their customer. That’s where knowing what you don’t like really comes into its own, because you have that as basis for your design decisions.
Design styles also need to be considered in relation to the location and type of business a venue or store is operating. For example, the style of a fast fashion store on London’s Oxford St probably wouldn’t be suitable for a tea room in The Cotswolds! There are also considerations such as Listed Buildings and being sympathetic to the surrounding area as well as thinking if the overall feel of the design style works with the operation.
What makes good design?
Useful, understandable, innovative, aesthetic, unobtrusive, long-lasting etc.
Aesthetically, design should be approachable, un-intimidating and should really enhance a customer’s experience with the thing being designed. For instance, in branding design, graphic elements should convey the brand message and be easy for customers to understand what they are going to get back from the product or experience. Similarly, in interiors the space should feel appropriate for its offer, after all we rarely go into an art gallery for a pint of craft ale! That said, some spaces might feel right to have a more “sterile” environment. We see that in some beauty or tech retail spaces, such as Apple, where the product, branding and the interior tie together to create a clear brand message.
It’s also the role of design and designers to push things forwards, preventing the stagnation of design and people becoming bored. This is where trends tend to come in, with designers trying a new thing that then becomes fashionable and everyone has that. Then they come up with another new thing and that becomes another fashionable trend. Good design tends to work slightly outside of trends to create longevity in design and use a small portion of trend design or timeless elements to supplement the good bones of design.
For example, industrial style has been around since around 1760 and we still see elements of this in lighting and furniture design today but in the late 2010s its overuse became a trend and now looks a little dated. This then moved on to the trend which featured lots of natural elements and warm tones as a reaction to the cold palette and materials seen in the Industrial design style.
In interiors in particular, overall design and design style should sit hand in hand with each other to make good design. Having an overall aesthetic that looks amazing but a space that doesn’t work on a day to day and practical level can be really compromising for operator and customer alike. As designers we use our knowledge base to work with operators and guide how best to make the space work; be that simple things like setting up product displays and making sure floors easy to clean or more complex things like helping to ensure the smooth operation & maintenance of a cocktail bar.
Boxx Design Studio – Professional interior designers
Here at Boxx Design, our team of interior designers are passionate about creating interiors which enhance the details of a space, with inspiration drawn from our clients’ unique styles and personalities. Whether your own a café, clothing boutique, a hotel, office or retail space, we will ensure you stand out from the crowd. To find out more about the principles which guide our interior design services, contact our team today.
