Design

Design is the process of giving form, style, and visual appeal to the many objects used by consumers [Page 438]in their daily lives. All types of mechanical and electronic devices, from Airbus planes and Toyota automobiles to GE appliances, Apple iPhones, and Sony HDTVs, bear the mark of design professionals, such as engineers, industrial designers, and corporate colorists. Branded goods, from the General Mills cornflakes stocked by the supermarket to the Clairol hair dye sold by the discount store, come in paper containers designed by packaging experts and graphic artists. Whether it is purchased on Main Street or at the suburban mall, clothing is also a designed product, created by specialists in fashion design and merchandising.

Design is as old as civilization itself, and the ability ...