Quote of the day: The Pretending Layer

That’s the pretending layer. The layer you add when you’ve solved the important problems, made the thing work properly and seamlessly. It’s the extra bit. The things I love the most have a pretending layer, so they’re not just for the practical me, they’re for the imaginary me. (Russell Davies)

I am in constant search of the pretending layer in design.

Design is Balance– too much pretending layer and it becomes complicated, fussy, annoying. Too little is boring, dull, uninspiring. Minimalism is lovely to look at in a magazine but it’s not ‘human’, Design should be human, comfortable. Design that commands regimented order to sustain the integrity isn’t sustainable; it stresses me out. I don’t want to worry about how a crease in a dress will ruin the drape, or how a mismatched cup will spoil the cupboard arrangement. Good design has to comply with human interaction, it has to adapt to mercurial temperaments. Good design has to be both the servant to the practical me and the imaginary me.

No wonder it’s so ****** elusive.