By Ashini K Ekanayake
Regardless of field, be it UX, interactive, branding or graphic design, all designers tend to see themselves as creators. Rather than just consumers of goods, we are makers of products. We are able to turn a plain and boring blank canvas into fresh and innovative concepts. However, how much of the content churned out is actually new, and how much has our work possibly been subconsciously influenced by ideas seen elsewhere rather than purely original ideas. Turns out that this is common among most designers, where a huge part is just effective curation.
Designers are Curators as well
Us designers are curators when we are able to call upon years of our honed designer instincts in order to deliberate over and choose design solutions we know will work without needing to explore other potential alternatives. Curation allows designers to save more time in situations where creating from scratch is much more inefficient. This is especially the case when working on an established product with a design system which is already mature. In this situation, the designer is rarely creating anything new, however, this does not mean that there is no design taking place. Picking and choosing the correct combination of solutions which will allow the system to achieve the intended function involves huge amounts of thoughtful and thorough curation. The designing process often involves various forms of curation and creation.
Curators not only apply, they remix
The main core of curation lies in how designers are able to remix older ideas in order to develop newer was to make something fresh and fit for the intended purpose. Once the new nature of the solution gets recognized, it will be copied and reiterated again and again, until the solution is no longer new, and becomes ordinary. The color scheme you may choose for a product is probably not unique and has been used before, but it could look brand new depending on the particular ratios applied to it. There may not be anything like an original idea. The best designers are those who are able to master the art of curation, where they are able to know when to recycle inspiration and refresh older ideas, modifying it better to suit modern problems. Original creation should always be aimed for, but a good designer knows when its necessary to invest in originality, and when curation is more effective. Every project will have different requirements, and the most efficient designers are able to tap into their own respective strengths in balancing creation and curation.