Why Is There Beauty In Design? | David Rives

Think about it: There’s great functionality in design. Take, for instance, a skyscraper or an ice cream cone. Both are designed to efficiently contain some element. One allows a scoop of ice cream to be held in an edible container, while the other design allows a relatively small footprint on the ground to hold thousands of people.

But good design doesn’t stop there… Design is also — beautiful. Think about it: the most carefully designed structures are also the most aesthetically pleasing to our eyes and other senses. A sophisticated jet. A palace. An expertly crafted dessert. A symphony.

But let’s not stop there: A rose. A Hummingbird. Your family pet. …Even the fierce beasts of prey! Human life. Microscopic DNA. Our planet – AND our Universe.

All of these things have great beauty and even greater functionality. EVERY example of beauty and positive functionality requires thoughtful design. While we can go back to historical records to track down the original designer of each man-made invention, we can also track down the Designer of the entire natural world, (including you and me) by reading the history in the book of Genesis. Not only can we revisit the Creation of the Universe in that record, but even today, we can know the Creator Himself.

We all enjoy the use of phones, but it’s too late to meet Alexander Graham Bell. What about cars? Not much of a chance of catching up with Henry Ford. You might like Facebook, but you’ll probably never get a face-to-face with Zuckerberg.

But we enjoy so many other things, like sitting on our porch watching the sunset, or the smell of rain, or taking a deep breath of air, or the feel of water splashing around your feet. Just like all of the other man-made functions and designs we’ve discussed — these elements of nature, and the very senses we use to connect with, are all elements of design and complexity, beauty and functionality.

I’m David Rives, Truly, the Heavens Declare the Glory of God