The young designer stared at the panel of an electronic device blankly.

The structure, the electronic and the program have been developed and the positions were set, which allowed no alteration. This can't be changed and that can't be moved. The designer struggled to find the way out in such restrained situation. All is done. What else can you design with a piece of panel?

This reminded me a story I heard when I was in school years ago...

The instructor raised a question. You are going to design for Oscar red carpet. Which is easier? A suit for men, or a dress for women?

Suits for men of course. All you need is suit jacket, dress shirt, trousers and vests. Then, add a tie or bow tie. Done. Aren’t suits all the same? Most of the students jumped to this conclusion. On the other hand, dress can be complicated. One-piece or two-piece? Long or short? Flowy or tight? Sleeves or no sleeves? Necklines, collars, pleats, ruffle, etc.

There are too many options that you don’t know where to start, yet, easy to bring to full play.

The instructor’s answer was very practical. Women's clothes stand out easily and the style and differences are noticeable. However, when it comes to men's clothing, it seems there’s nothing more to be done? The cut, the fabric, the color, the bow and the accessories have to be arranged according to certain pattern. When the spaces left for designers are little, details are the keys.

This applied to all designs. However imaginative and bold you are, you can’t always design "design clothes" for the relatively unconstrained runway. Eventually, your design must be easy to make, practical to wear, and distinguish from the others. Manifesting the style without destroying the feature as a whole is the challenge that all professional designers must face.

Seeking changes in subtlety, the designer is now working on a suit.