What can we learn from a 1969 design diagram and apply to solving modern problems?

On a recent episode of the How This Works show (no. 32), designer (who codes) Bumhan YU introduced me to a diagram that broke my current thinking around problem-solving methods/frameworks. During our conversation, he mentioned Charles Eames' 1969 design sketch — shown above — created for the Louvre's "Qu'est ce que le design?" exhibition. Despite my familiarity with Charles Ray Eames’ work in general, I’d never seen this elegantly simple visualization: three overlapping areas that represent client needs, design office capabilities, and societal interests. And the most important bit? Their intersection and the 4th note about how a designer can work with “conviction and enthusiasm.”

The strength and simplicity of this diagram lies in how it frames constraints. When interviewed by Madame L’Amic during the exhibition, Eames insisted that design wasn't about artistic expression but "a method of action." He saw constraints not as limitations but as fuel for the creative process. "Design depends largely on constraints," he explained, emphasizing "the ability of the designer to recognize as many of the constraints as possible; his willingness and enthusiasm for working within these constraints."

This perspective feels surprisingly relevant today. While we have newer frameworks like design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) and visual models like Damien Newman 's "design squiggle" that gives us a conceptual view of the path from chaos to clarity, Eames' core insight about embracing constraints remains powerful.

Consider how this applies beyond traditional design:

• In product development, balancing user needs, technical feasibility, and business viability
• In strategy, finding the overlap between market opportunity, organizational capability, and sustainable practice
• In innovation, navigating between what's possible, what's needed, and what's responsible

My friend Jake Kahana likes to say that design is but more like sleight of hand — a level of craft and skill obvious because of practice, collaboration, and refinement. The same could be said for any complex problem-solving. The apparent effortlessness of a great solution comes from countless iterations within well-understood constraints.

As Santa Cruz architect Daniel Silvernail notes, the process "requires passion and dedication almost approaching love... yet must almost always be done within a definitive timeline and for a finite professional fee." While Silvernail speaks from an architectural perspective, I believe this insight resonates across many kinds of jobs, specifically creative or not. The tension between creative exploration and practical constraints is often the cauldron of innovation.

I wonder, Are we too caught up chasing efficiency? The real value seems to be in understanding our constraints well enough to turn them into opportunities.

What constraints in your work could become catalysts for creativity?

#design #innovation #problemsolving #creativethinking #constraints