Adrian Shaughnessy, writer of the amazing “How to be a Graphic Designer Without losing your soul” at the Design Observer:

We’ve reached a point, in the homogenized West, where good graphic design is everywhere. The battle has been won: every business knows it needs good design —you don’t have to tell them anymore. It’s enshrined in the business schools, established in the corporate HQs. Even small businesses understand that good design is good for business. It’s a universal truth, like “customer service” and “value for money,” and all the other boardroom nostrums that drive modern commerce.

The battle has been won, Adrian says. I don’t disagree; I can’t, or I wouldn’t be in this business. However more often than not I see people worry about design before everything and anything else (even the user), and herein lies the mistake. Without the user, without the eyeballs, there is no design because there is no purpose.

So the rule is: in your products, establish the purpose, remember the user, and then think about how fancy it can look like without compromising usability, experience, and your ultimate goal - to serve the viewer. Shouldn’t that be the point of design in the first place?