Design is story-telling.

Design is story-telling.

Sometimes the story is the truth, as in the case of a muscular pickup truck with its wide tires and hefty build whose internal construction is equal in strength to the outwardly muscular projections.

And then there are the fictional stories... such as the many niff and spiff sports cars with their wide tires and 160 MPH speedometers -- but with internal constructions far from going safely at 86, much less 160.

By these examples we see that design is the practice of creating illustrations of an actual reality, and also illusions of things not there at all... depending upon the goal or design-intent of the project.

An astronaut wants a spacesuit that functions every bit as well as it appears to function. Image in a spacesuit is secondary, whereas in a business suit image is everything and the purpose for wearing the business suit --as opposed to a sweat shirt and jeans-- is to enhance what is worth enhancing and hide what should not be seen.

A street urchin unshaven and mumbling to himself rides the New York City subway unmolested each day left alone by repulsed city-dwellers. The design is perfect, for in reality, the urchin is a courier moving vast amounts of cash at a healthy commission. On the outside he is a mess. But on the inside, he a master craftsman who has learned that any story, no matter how odd or unexpected, can be rewarding.