God is in the Details: The Design Parable

In Iranian film director’s Majid Majidi’s ‘Colour of Paradise’, a blind boy asks his mentor: “Why has God made us blind?” The mentor, a carpenter by profession explains to the boy: “Blind people are special, God loves them the most. God made a special application where blind people can touch God on their fingertips.” When asked whether he had ever felt God on his fingertips, the boy innocently expresses his concerns. The story moves ahead in an interesting way; a simple and beautiful narrative subtly highlighting the metaphysical aspects of the journey of life. The storyteller touches upon many thought-provoking spiritual issues. And the movie ends with a poignant scene with the boy's fingers perceiving the touch of the almighty with his fingertips. Detail in design, according to me, is much like the touch of God. Our studio has been exploring and practicing the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quote ‘God is in the details’. As we proceed on that journey, new dimensions reveal themselves to us, helping us understand the hidden inner layers of design, and empowering us to develop our design skills. The design process thus becomes a spiritual journey. Using basic design principles of space planning lends a sense of serenity to design.