the purpose of graphic design

原研哉 (Hara Kenya), renown japanese graphic designer and art director of Muji, has recently published the book Designing Design.

a good friend of mine had recently introduce the book to me, and boy am i grateful. the book is probably one of best book i've read recently. looking through the awkward translation, and into the intentions that was to be conveyed by Hara Kenya, had given me higher insight into design and designing design.

for the longest time i have been contemplating on the role, purpose and function of graphic communication. amongst the sea of various creative disciplines, graphic design has been deemed to be, at best, a vehicle to inform and nothing more. i have always thought that there is more, and in fact a lot more, to graphic communication than merely informing. but never could i put into words the higher function of graphic design beyond its informing role.

i would have furniture designer friends telling me how furniture design is about relating to human body; product designer friends telling me that product design improves lifestyle; and interior designer friends telling me how interior design creates space for human interaction.

"but what about graphic design?" i've always thought, and was never quite able to put it into words.

and Hara Kenya summed it up aptly:

"To design is to "build" a structure with an image inside the mind of the recipient. In this case, the materials are not only external stimulation but also massive amount of memories awakened by stimulation. Designing highlights subtle differences between recalled memories and reality."

beautiful.