You are not a man just because you have an Erection!

Contrary to general belief, design is not about creating outlandish forms nor is it about developing mind-boggling shapes. For me design has a simple meaning.

It means "Functionality". Designs should be functional. In case a design is unable to solve the basic purpose it is meant for, it is simply nothing more than "junk" to me. No matter how artistic the form of the design, how beautiful the color combination, how wonderful the layout; without it having all the necessary elements that ensure perfect functionality, its all worth nothing.

For me the true essence of design lies in the tiniest of details. It is about uncovering even the last bit of obscurity and darkness. It should be as clear as water. What this basically means is that unless and until, a designer goes through, in great depth, each and every little aspect of his creation, bearing in mind the overall functionality to be achieved, a design is never complete. A famous designer once said that "..design should be such that you should not have to provide a user manual with your product..". This basically means that the design output should be so fluid and intuitive that the end-users should be able to wake up from half-sleep and still be able to use the product (or whatever it is that has been designed), the first time he/she sees it. All this can only happen when a designer has a strong grip on all the details as well as all the functionality in his creation.
Here's a link where Paul Bennett (IDEO) talks about finding design in the details:
Paul Bennett talks about finding design in the details.
So, basically what I want to say is that what basically matters for a design to be classified as successful is to ensure perfect functionality before anything else. The other facets can follow. So, that is what I mean when I say "You are not a man just because you have an erection".