Michael Roller

Design Philosophy

I’m always considering the definition of good design and trying to keep a sharp point of view on the subject. I compare my aesthetic preferences with current trends, integrating some new color, texture, or form language to my work when it makes sense. But some day, I’ll need to put down my pencil and let the kids take over. See, I realize my styling abilities have an expiration date, so it’s important to find ways to strategically impact design work before my sketches stop turning heads. Hence this blog and posts like this one.

There is no bad design. There is only bad context and bad execution.

This is my (current) philosophy on design. It came from a conversation with Lara, my interior designer wife. Her coworkers were evaluating criticizing another designer’s work (potentially the not-designed-by-me bias). They abhorred the tassels that were used as drawer pulls and promised they would never use them in a project. Lara and I found that to be a bit extreme, and we wondered if we wouldn’t find good uses of tassels at a place like Anthropologie or Design Sponge. It’s easy enough to find some, and this philosophy was born. You might not like a color, shape, or detail, but who knows when it could come into fashion or fit with a certain design theme. I prefer to maintain a relativist point of view and stay open to new ideas and executions.

Tags: designer bias, philosophy

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