Approaching new projects we have a set of core beliefs guiding us through the process. We believe that design needs to pinpoint and focus on a primary goal in order to be effective. We believe that unnecessary distractions weaken the experience of a product and diminishes it’s perceived value. We believe that design needs to be structured from the ground up to serve a primary idea in order to become truly intuitive and long lasting.

Ultimately we believe that what’s best for the user is what’s best for the product, and that faithfully letting design focus on the single most important goal is the best way to achieve this. Following these beliefs, here is a simplified rundown of our basic process for approaching new projects at 1910.

1. Determine the function of the product from a user standpoint. This might not always align with what the client initially asks for so make sure to fully understand what actual value the service has to offer before automatically following the brief.

2. Remove or minimize all unnecessary elements, leaving only what’s vital to accomplish the essential goal. This might again not follow the initial brief so make sure to always explain and motivate why such a thing is important.

3. Construct a foundation (i.e. a grid) tailored to keep the essentials in focus and the path to accomplishment as short as possible. Removing steps means removing frustration and in the end, keeping users happy.

That’s really all there is to it. A happy user is a loyal user, and loyal users are what ultimately build brands. If you’d like to read more about how we go on constructing our grids you can do so here.

—

Jonas Salvador, Art Director & Partner