Why Designers Need to Prioritize Quality Materials Alongside Aesthetics

Design can be a very visual thing. You might find yourself thinking in terms of shapes and colors, and presenting your ideas in a way that’s highly visual, too.

But when your designs become a reality, they’ll be judged according to other factors, including durability and energy performance. If you want your creations to be good for purposes other than stage dressing, in other words, you’ll need to take material selection seriously.

But exactly how should this be done?

Look beyond surface-level aesthetics

The differences between the various materials you choose from will mostly reside in the way they look and perform.  A surface that’s made from sheet materials, like drywall board, will look different than one that’s made from solid timber.

Visual concerns might be further broken down. You might think about hues, values, and chromaticity, in the same way as a landscape artist. Textures, and surface reflectivity, matter too.

But if the material you’re choosing can’t last for years, and is vulnerable to things like airborne moisture, then you might find that the visual advantages dissipate very quickly. A painted surface that’s covered in mould is rarely attractive.

Make performance part of the design brief

Different spaces will impose different requirements and challenges. You’ll want to emphasize these in your design brief. Exactly what might the humidity be like in this space? How regularly will elements of the environment need to be serviced, or replaced? Modularity, and ease of maintenance, might be major considerations.

The design choices you make might end up reducing the ongoing costs associated with running the building. If you can simply pull away a panel to access cables and pipes, then you’ll obviate the need for more destructive work.

Material supply-chain transparency is becoming a design priority

The way that materials are sourced is coming under increased scrutiny, as environmental guidelines tighten. A panel that’s being shipped around the world before arriving on site is one that’s necessarily more environmentally destructive (all other things being equal) than one that’s sourced locally.

Of course, other things are rarely equal. You’ll need to form a comprehensive overview of the raw materials and methods you’re using, and the suppliers with whom you’re cooperating.

Use material data to make better creative decisions

You might despair at the idea that your creativity is being hindered by mundane concerns around performance, especially later in the process. But it’s possible to eliminate stress by narrowing your options as early as possible. You can compare materials with the help of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), along with other information. Once you know that the material is fit for purpose, other concerns, like aesthetics, can come into play.