NYSID's Judith Gura on Design for the Times

Does design have to be new to be right for the times? Of course not – as people (like me) who study history know, good design doesn’t ever really go out of date --- that is, not if it’s done well. A perfect image to make the point would be the Arne Jacobsen "Egg" chair -- an iconic this-minute-modern piece that was introduced in 1957. The tricky thing is to know good design from bad, which is partly (of course) a matter of personal taste. But it’s also a matter of a well-trained eye…..the designer’s eye. I advise students to trust their instincts, up to a point, but to also to be objective in deciding why they think a design – or an interior – is good. If they can’t find specific reasons, then maybe they’re relying on impulse rather than judgment

A perfect image to make the point would be the Arne Jacobsen "Egg" chair -- an iconic this-minute-modern piece that was introduced in 1957.The tricky thing is to know good design from bad, which is partly (of course) a matter of personal taste. But it’s also a matter of a well-trained eye…..the designer’s eye. I advise students to trust their instincts, up to a point, but to also to be objective in deciding why they think a design – or an interior – is good. If they can’t find specific reasons, then maybe they’re relying on impulse rather than judgment.