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The world of design if full of iconic names: Antonio Gaudi, famous for designing of the most beautiful buildings in the world; John Ruskin, who inspired the arts and crafts Movement and became a champion of the Gothic Revival style; Salvador Dali, the surrealist painter who also designed some inspiring furniture; and Arne Jacobsen, whose designs include the Egg Chair, familiar to any design student. All these designers had one thing in common, in creating anything, they sat down with a pen, paper and perhaps a ruler to generate their ideas. The time of hand sketched and immaculately poster printing are gone, but are modern designers, who are more reliant on computers and computer aided design (CAD) technology, doing anything different to these iconic names?

Of course, all design is simply a method of creating something that looks attractive and engages with people, and no matter what medium a designer chooses, the basics of good design remain the same. Good design should serve the purpose of practicality, as well as providing an aesthetic beauty. Good design is everywhere, from buildings to advertising hoardings, furniture to websites, and good design is easily spotted. Anything that makes you look and take an interest could be said to have been designed well. Unlike art, which is aesthetically pleasing for aesthetics sake, good design serves a purpose. Whether it’s Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chair, or a logo for a fast food restaurant, good design is both aesthetically engaging and practical. Jacobsen’s Egg Chair was simple, good-looking and comfortable to sit on; likewise, a logo for a fast food restaurant needs to look good enough for people to remember it as well as represent the brand and encourage people to want to eat there.

Increasingly, the world is moving away from traditional design and even traditional media. The Internet, digital signage and smart phones, mean we are more likely to see designs on a screen, rather than on paper or printed material. Seeing something on a computer is not very different to seeing something in printed form. Designers or both mediums employ the same logos, colors and visual imagery. Indeed, even designs on printed material tends are most like designed on a computer these days, rather than a pen and paper, but here too, there is little difference in the application of design skills.

Whether it’s a branding logo for a familiar fast food restaurant, a website selling something as simple as caravan insurance, or an ancient architectural masterpiece, such as the Sistine Chapel, the basis of good design remains the same. Behind all good designs is the designer. Regardless of what is being designed, and what medium it is being designed on, good design is a reflection of the designer’s creativity. As with any artists, designers use whatever medium they feel lets them express their ideas, and computers are just tools that enable creativity to flow.

Computers and design software provide many advantages to designers. Using traditional design methods, mistakes often meant a crumpled piece of paper and the designer having to start again from scratch. With modern design software, designers are able to retrace their steps and make corrections without having to start again. Computers and design software also open the world of design up to more people. While not everybody is confident with a pen and paper, ink, paint or other traditional media, design software packages are forgiving, reducing the need for a skillful hand and place more emphasis on the creative aspects of design. This doesn’t mean everybody can become a designer. Design takes great skill, with knowledge of color use, light and shadow, and how best to use imagery essential knowledge for any good designer.

It is clear that digital design is the future, and as computers and design software packages advance, designers need to keep abreast of the latest changes in technology, but traditional designers also needed to keep abreast of the latest changes and trends, so nothing has really changed there, either. Design has changed, both the medium used by designers and the medium that audience sees designs on, but one thing remains the same, good design requires the same skills and creativity that it has always done, with the most important aspect to any great design being a great designer.