(And Why It Matters More Than Ever in Aviation)
If you’ve known me for a while, you probably know I’m a designer. And if you’ve worked with designers, you probably think you know what that means.
Most would say we’re experts in aesthetics, ergonomics, spatial layout, materials, concept development, storytelling—maybe even sculpture. You’re not wrong. It’s the art and science of form and function. It’s designing for people.
But here’s what often gets missed:
👉 Designers are, first and foremost, trained 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀.
That’s the real gig. That’s the core.
Everything else—the visuals, the finishes, the layout—serves the bigger purpose. Our true superpower is taking something complex, undefined, or broken… and making sense of it. With structure. With purpose. Over time, the design community has developed a repeatable process to back that up.
The Design Thinking Process (in its simplest form):
1. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘇𝗲 – Understand the people, their pain points, their environment.
2. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 – Clarify the real problem (this step gets skipped way too often).
3. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 – Explore a wide range of creative solutions.
4. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 – Give shape to the best ideas and test them early.
5. 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 & 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 – Learn what works, fix what doesn’t, and keep iterating.
And I’d argue the most critical step is #2:
✔️ Make sure you’re solving the right problem.
“𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱” 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲
You know those moments when someone says, “Can you just make it look good?” or “Just pick a taupe that works”?
It’s like asking a border collie to sit still on your lap all day.
It’s not that we can’t — it’s just not what we’re wired for. Designers are driven by purpose. We want to know the “why” behind every choice — not just to make something pretty, but to make it right.
I’ve seen what happens when the process gets skipped — and it’s rarely ideal. Time pressures, budget constraints, or a lack of design awareness lead to missed opportunities or awkward solutions. A switch out of place. A storage lid that’s awkward to use. Something you can reach but wish you could see. You get the idea.
Design ensures that both aesthetics and function check all the boxes — not just the easy ones.
In aviation, that process matters more than ever. As an independent design firm, we’re not confined by traditional boundaries. We work across the aviation community to deliver higher customer focus.
If you’re kicking off a refurbishment—or need a design that does more than check a few boxes—bring in a designer early. Before it gets complicated.
We bring the creativity. The structure. The obsession with detail.
And yes — we’ll make it look exceptional, too.
✈️ Curious about our design-first approach? Let’s connect.
