Design has always been a fantastic barometer of the Zeitgeist. When we see a book made during the Renaissance era, a poster made during Communism, or wallpaper made during the Arts and Crafts movement, we automatically get a feel for what the culture is doing during that time. The same holds true for today.
Today we deal with design on a very human level. Our culture thinks in terms of pixels, not wall frescos. The size of our hand and the tip of our finger are now units of measure. Generations of children are now growing up trying to zoom in on magazines or swipe windows. When digital design fails now, it impacts how we interact with the world. It slows production. It stops the flow of information which is why design is just as, if not more important, than ever before.
Form and function are overlapping in a very interesting way now. Programming is guiding our design and visa versa. Gone are the days when a company could get away with just being a code shop, and print agencies are now going the way of the buffalo. A designer who knows basic HTML and CSS will make more intelligent decisions and in turn make things easier for the programmer, as well as the consumer.
This sounds like a bit of a tall order, especially considering each discipline — whether it be UX, development, or design — is becoming far more specialized and competitive. There is a growing gap between those who “get it” and those that don’t. I can say with great confidence that each person at Eureka gets it. The developers here design their code better than any shop or team I’ve seen in my career. Purposeful, conscious decision-making pays off big nowadays. The way we think about design and technology is so intertwined that a good developer will design with code, and a good designer will create with code in mind. Our culture is a reflection of our technological freedom and integration, and Eureka codes and designs with that in mind.
