Blog written by our very own: Rachel Bernstein
What is design, and how do I do it? And for that matter, what makes it good? Those are questions I find myself asking a lot as someone new to the design world. My name is Rachel, and I am a budding Interior Designer with the Gaines Group. I am also a current student getting my Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture and Design. Sounds fancy, right?
Good design is definitely something to strive for, but what is it exactly? With a B.A in International Relations, I graduated undergrad and went straight into Public Health. Two very different career paths and neither have much to do with Interior Design. So, how did I end up here and how can I learn to define what good design is? Well, although I don’t come from a career background in design, I have spent years training my eye as a professional photographer and I have always had a love for functional design. I think these two experiences have helped me along the way and yet I am still finding new questions to ask and keep pondering what actually makes a design good.
The Gaines Group Building Photographed by Me (Rachel Bernstein)
Lake Moomaw Landscape Photographed by Me (Rachel Bernstein)
In school, I am learning the technical aspects of design from a broader perspective. Every “client” is a made-up person with a bullet list of what they want. I never talk to them; I don’t get to ask follow up questions. I must follow their “Wishlist” but so much of the design still comes directly from my own head and own desires. It’s an amazing way to learn; finding what I like in my head and putting it to paper. My choices are mostly un-inhibited, and I get to challenge myself to work with design solutions that I may not be naturally good at. It’s also not entirely real-world design. With the Gaines Group, our clients are real. I get the opportunity to listen to and discuss with a real person what they want. In a way, I must remove myself and my implicit design bias from the process to ensure that I am truly hearing their design goals. Then, working with the client I can provide informed suggestions and we can make thoughtful design decisions together. I think that is where the start of good design comes from; finding the balance between unbiased design while also using professional knowledge and creative experience to create something amazing.
Handsketch by Me (Rachel Bernstein)
There are also so many more parts of the design process than I ever could have imagined and every day I learn something new. Good design, and a good designer, looks at every moving part and finds a way to make it all work. As someone new to this world, that is so much easier said than done. Watching my colleagues work and find answers to complicated design challenges is incredibly impressive, and I am learning so much just from simply observing them.
At this time, I have two years left of school and I wonder if I were to re-write this blog post in two years, how my answers may differ. I think my answers are correct to some degree, but I do recognize how much more I have yet to learn. So maybe it’s less that my answers will change and more that they will evolve, as I evolve, in the world of design.
Harrisonburg Team Members
