The right amount of perseverance

Abstract

As he goes deeper into the whole subject of design, the beginner will probably be surprised by the strange laws which govern the way it works. When first seeking the solution of a design problem, he can see nothing but difficulties; the conditions to be met appear so contradictory that it seems to him unlikely that they will ever be reconciled. At this stage the designer is tempted to give in to the difficulties and to delete one item after another from his list of requirements. It is astonishing how quickly he may let himself be persuaded into this sort of surrender, and how he may rapidly reduce his demands until finally the whole project is not really worth undertaking. Unless, in these circumstances, he pursues the final aim with perseverance, he will never become a successful designer. It is almost as if Nature were testing our resolve, for she only gives way when we have made up our minds to be bold. This attitude is shared by all good designers and seems to be a sine qua non for successful design work.