“A big definition of who you are as a designer, it’s the way you look at the world. And I guess one of the curses of what you do, is you are constantly looking at something and thinking, ‘Why? Why is it like that? Why is it like that and not like this?’“

Jony Ive, former chief design officer at Apple and founder of creative collective Lovefrom, describes getting to the bottom of things by asking „why“ as a curse here, but it can also be an valuable gift.

In the German workforce, there's a well-known expression: "Dienst nach Vorschrift," which means working strictly according to instructions, without asking a lot of questions. It can be a good thing. No one wants endless discussions in every step of the way, right?

However you should never unlearn the childish gift of asking ‚why‘. It can change the way you approach things and add significant value to the result.

Let’s look at an example. There are countless brand lookalikes to fritz-kola out there. They mimick their minimalistic design and use an illustrated portrait of the founder as a logomark. The copycats probably just had the intention of making their brand as cool as fritz-kola. Maybe they also thought it would automatically lead to similar success to that of the Hamburg-based beverage brand. However they forgot to ask the question why the brand strategy and design of fritz-kola is so good and effective.  

The strategy of fritz-kola was and is to be the antithesis to a faceless global giant: Coca Cola. Thus it makes sense to show the faces of the founders on every bottle of fritz-kola. It visually communicates that this is not a product from a huge corporation. Without having to read more than the cheeky and very German brand name fritz-kola, people immediately get a sense of authenticity and individuality, a grassroots approach, and a personal touch that stands out in the beverage market. 

The story of David vs. Goliath is established. Co-founder Mirco Wolf Wiegert rephrases it as ‘fritz gegen Goliath’ in his book, which tells the story of the company.

If there is no Goliath, copying their approach simply will not work.

It is very easy for us to tell if we think something is good or that we like something. It can be hard to understand why.

Every designer has come across this situation in one way or another: their client has seen something they really like – for example this 2023 ad by New Balance – and now they want the designer to create something similar for their own brand. The designer uses the ad as a blueprint and comes up with seemingly matching suggestions, but the client is disappointed by the outcome. Both parties are puzzled, since it seems that it was clear what they were going for.

In this fictional case, neither the client nor the designer understood why this ad was considered a best practice for their project. Did the client specifically like the overall minimalistic design? The retro serif typeface? The warm tones of the photography? The combination of these elements? 

If the client just happens to be a big New Balance fan, the magic will evaporate as soon as a different logo is placed in the design, even if it’s their own. Or maybe the client enjoys running himself and was particularly drawn to the photo, in which case a different motif is not going to lead to the same excitement.

Trying to understand why the client preferred that particular ad before making a single stroke might have paved the way for a different and, more importantly, more successful outcome. This goes without considering the fact that you should not always design to the client’s liking - but that is a different article.

Frequently asking why can be helpful in areas other than design as well. „Let’s remember why we are having this meeting“ can be incredibly useful in any work environment when discussions are starting to veer off the intended topic. 

Another good example where asking why can save time, nerves and money are deliverables. For instance, let’s say a company department ‚needs a brochure‘ as a handout for the next trade fair. Why? ‚Because we need something to hand out to our visitors.‘ Ok, but why? ’Because we want people to remember us after visiting our booth.’ In that case, there may be more impactful measures you can take to leave a lasting impression, rather than just handing out a brochure that, depending on its content and design, might end up in the trash shortly after. If the initial why‘s are followed up by ‚what are your goals by attending this trade fair‘, it might lead the way to a well founded concept and more tangible results. 

In many cases, probing a little by asking 'why' can lead to more substantial and meaningful discussions about the needs and goals of departments, companies, and individuals.

This doesn’t mean – looking at you, Gen Z – to engage in an endless cycle of questioning that might be redirected towards those making a request. Instead, asking why should deepen understanding and lead to clearer insights and solutions. It’s about seeking to understand motivations, goals, and the underlying reasons behind actions, ultimately contributing to better decision-making and outcomes.

Stay curious.