𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻?

Just by asking, you’re admitting something crucial: bad design exists. Most people don’t notice good design. But bad design? You feel it — like a stone in your shoe.

And that’s the problem. Try explaining the difference to anyone who didn’t study design, and you’ll sound like you’re talking about wine tasting or modern art. Maybe that’s why so many designers end up writing manifestos about it.

They’re all captured on Design Manifestos brilliant website, well worth a read. Not for easy answers, but because it reminds you of something fundamental: good design is never static. It changes as people change. It evolves with culture, technology, expectations.

I started writing a list of what makes good design… and it wouldn’t stop growing. Then it hit me: good design isn’t a checklist of virtues. It’s always contextual. Without context, it’s just… design.

Take the Togo sofa in our house. You know the one. Designed in 1973 by Michel Ducaroy — soft, low, foam-only, no frame. A classic. For a young family, it’s brilliant. My kids have climbed it, jumped on it, turned it into pirate ships and forts. It’s lived a hundred lives.

But when my elderly neighbours visit? They look at it like it’s a trapdoor. Lovely to get into, hell to get out of. Same sofa, same design… one moment it’s genius, the next, a menace.

Or door handles. Everyone loves a sleek pull handle — until you meet one on a push door. Suddenly, that elegant form becomes a usability fail. Not because it’s ugly — but because it’s wrong.

And that’s the point: there’s no universal good. Good design is good for something, someone, somewhere. Not golden rules carved in stone. It’s a mindset. A question you keep asking.

Design doesn’t live in a vacuum. Good design asks: for whom, when, where, and why? It’s not just about being good. It’s about being right — for the time, place, person, and purpose.

That’s why the best design doesn’t start with taste or trends. It starts with questions.

So here’s my list. Or rather, a starting point. Not gospel — it’s alive, shifting as the world does. Just like good design should.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻… (𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿)

is honest
is unobtrusive
is understandable
is communicative
is empathetic
is inclusive
is accessible
is usable
is affordable
is functional
is practical
is useful
is frictionless
is intuitive
is responsive
is adaptable
is scalable
is meaningful
is emotional
is connecting
is delightful
is beautiful
is persuasive
is story-driven
is seductive
is transformational
𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹
is sustainable
is enduring
is cultural
is differential
is strategic
is commercial
is tactical
is efficient
is timeless
is a competitive advantage

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀?
Add to my list. Or argue with it. Or write your own.