Meaningful design

If people get married, they don’t send the invitation over WhatsApp or email. They send a nice physical card, designed in a style that suits the couple. If guests come to the wedding, they don’t wear their casual clothes. They dress up nicely, perhaps even in a dresscode mentioned on the invitation. The event itself doesn’t take place in a Zoom call, but in a special venue, decorated for the occassion.

A wedding party is one of life’s most special moments and this weekend I had the honor of attending one. Originally it was planned 2 years ago, but then the pandemic messed things up. ‘If we give a party, we do it right’, the couple said and so it was postponed. But last Friday, it finally happened. And it was lovely. The bride and groom looked fantastic. The party was great. Music, cocktails, everybody dancing and having a good time. It was truly a memorable event for everyone.

Of course it’s the couple’s choices that mostly made it so memorable. But design helped out a lot. From the typography on the invitation card to the dress of the bride and from the decoration of the venue to the little gifts we got after the party was over — every aspect of the wedding was intentionally designed.

As designers, we sometimes struggle to find the meaning in our work. Do our designs really matter? Are we making a difference in the world? This wedding reminded me that design is always meaningful when applied to moments that matter.