Green Shoe Garage’s Design Principles
29 Thoughts on How We Think About Design
“Anyone can cook.” Chef Auguste Gusteau, Ratatouille
Philosophy & Mindset
1. Anyone Can Make.
Creativity and craftsmanship are not reserved for elites, professionals, or people with fancy degrees. Everyone has the right and the capacity to make things with their hands, hearts, and minds. Our job as designers and engineers is to remove barriers, demystify processes, and give people tools they can actually use. The garage is for everyone.
2. Prevent Professional Priesthoods.
No one should have to "kiss the ring" to learn how to solder, 3D print, or build something meaningful. Jargon, exclusivity, and credential-worship create silos. At GSG, we reject that. We build open-source cultures, teach without condescension, and make mastery accessible.
3. KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Simple designs are more robust, easier to understand, easier to repair, and more elegant. Complexity for complexity's sake is a form of ego. Clear beats clever. When in doubt, take something out.
4. Make It Obvious.
Design should be self-explanatory. Cables should be labeled. Mechanisms should reveal their function. Maintenance should be intuitive. A good system invites you in; a bad one makes you feel dumb.
5. Message Over Technique.
A beautiful weld doesn’t matter if the final thing doesn’t mean something. Don’t get distracted by tricks and precision for their own sake. Focus on what you're saying through what you're building. Meaning beats mastery.
6. Design is Storytelling.
People connect with stories. A great product tells a story about who made it, why it exists, and what it wants to be. Machines don’t live stories—humans do. Let that humanity show in your work.
7. Design Should Uplift.
Function matters. But so does joy. Humor, color, playfulness, and elegance should have a seat at the table. Design for the soul, not just the job.
Tools & Technology
8. AI and CNC Are Tools.
Digital tools are extensions of your brain and hands. Use them with intention. Don’t be seduced by automation or outsource your creativity. AI doesn't dream. It replicates. You are the origin.
9. Avoid Tool Jockey Syndrome.
Loving tools is fine. But using them just to tinker, instead of finishing the job, is a trap. Know when to play, and when to ship. Solve the problem. Don't just admire problems endlessly or tinker around getting 0.001% more from a tool.
10. Adopt the New When It Helps.
Use tools and tech that actually increase efficiency. If a new tool makes you quicker or more capable, use it. But don’t chase fads. New is not always better—better is better.
11. Good Tools Should Disappear.
Great tools become invisible. They fade into the workflow and help you focus on your idea. Avoid bloated systems that overwhelm with options you’ll never use. Flow matters more than features.
12. Focus on Reducing Workflow Friction.
Choose tools and methods that minimize steps between your idea and a working prototype. Shave the drag off your workflow. Always be refining your process. Every inefficiency is a tax on creativity.
13. Every Tool You Learn Reduces Fear.
Each skill unlocks confidence. That tool you’re scared of? Learn it. Once you do, you’ll fear less and build more. Constantly be upskilling.
Process & Practice
14. Reuse What You’ve Got. Let Your Junk Drawer Guide You.
Work with what you have. Scrap parts, leftovers, old furniture, last year’s prototype—your junk drawer is a treasure chest. Reuse is sustainable, resourceful, and creatively challenging. Constraints make better designers and the best ideas often come from finding new purpose in old things.
15. Prototype Relentlessly.
Don’t overplan. Don't wait for perfect conditions. Start building. The sooner you test your ideas, the sooner you find what works. Rough prototypes are worth more than perfect concepts on paper.
16. Perfect is the Enemy.
You can always make it better—but only if you finish it first. Perfection is procrastination in disguise. Get it good enough to ship. Then improve. Iteration is better than obsession.
17. Performance Isn’t Enough.
Designs must balance capability with cost, time, and context. Building the fastest, most powerful widget means nothing if it’s too expensive or too late. Practicality is not compromise—it’s wisdom.
18. Treat Failures as Stepping Stones.
Every misstep, burn mark, or broken part is a data point. Mistakes are how we learn. Embrace them, log them, laugh at them, and use them to do better next time.
19. Throw Out the First Design.
Assume version one is flawed. Don’t cling to it. Build it fast, break it fast, and move on. Real growth happens in version two and beyond.
20. Design for Future You.
Leave notes. Label your work. Comment your code. Organize your files. Future You is forgetful, tired, and probably working late. Be kind to them.
21. Design for the Next Pair of Hands.
You won't be the last person to use, repair, or expand your project. Make it understandable to others. Leave behind clarity, not mystery.
22. Constraint is a Feature.
Limitations aren’t obstacles—they’re fuel. A limited budget, tight deadline, or lack of parts forces focus. Welcome constraint. It sharpens your edge.
23. Make Learning Inescapable.
Design things so people can learn from them without even trying. Let your work teach through interaction. Good design is educational by accident.
24. Build Like You Might Need to Escape With It.
Lightweight, modular, durable. If you had to grab your work and run, would it survive the journey? If not, rethink it.
25. Optimize for Repair, Not Perfection.
Use fasteners, not glue. Make things that are meant to be fixed, improved, and opened again. Repairability is sustainability.
26. Design for the 2 A.M. Fix.
Would it make sense to someone under stress, in the dark, half-asleep? If it wouldn’t, make it simpler.
27. Start Crude, Polish Later.
Don’t waste polish on an idea that doesn’t work. Make the ugly prototype. Then refine. Build raw, then shape it into beauty. Timeless objects and systems that last, evolve; they are not invented in one fell swoop.
28. If It’s Worth Building, It’s Worth Sharing.
Put your projects online. Talk about your process. Teach what you learned. You’ll make the community stronger—and yourself.
29. Plan but Leave Room for Serendipity.
Sketch the roadmap, but don’t pave over the side trails. Some of the best breakthroughs happen when you’re not looking for them. Stay open to the unexpected, and let happy accidents shape the journey.