Design choice

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In engineering, a design choice is a possible solution to a problem. Given a design task and a governing set of criteria (design specifications), several conceptual designs may be drafted. Each of these preliminary concepts is a potential design choice. Many never advance beyond the preliminary phase; those that are developed to the point at which they could be applied become the pool from which the final selection is made. This process stems from the principle that there is usually no uniquely right way of accomplishing any task. The final selection is often made on a financial basis; i.e., the least expensive design is chosen in a bid process.

In civil engineering, design choices typically derive from basic principles of materials science and structural design. A suspension bridge, for example, uses the fact that steel is extremely efficient in tension, while a prestressed concrete bridge takes advantage of concrete's relatively low cost by weight and its ability to sustain high compressive loading (see compression).

References

Design

Disciplines

Communication design	Advertising Book design Brand design Exhibit design Film title design Graphic design Motion Postage stamp design Print design Illustration Information design Instructional design News design Photography Retail design Signage / Traffic sign design Typography / Type design Video design Visual merchandising
Environmental design	Architecture Architectural lighting design Building design Passive solar Ecological design Environmental impact design Garden design Computer-aided Healthy community design Hotel design Interior architecture Interior design EID Keyline design Landscape architecture Sustainable Landscape design Spatial design Urban design
Industrial design	Automotive design Automotive suspension design CMF design Corrugated box design Electric guitar design Furniture design Sustainable Hardware interface design Motorcycle design Packaging and labeling Photographic lens design Product design Production design Sensory design Service design
Interaction design	Experience design EED Game design Level design Video game design Hardware interface design Icon design Immersive design Information design Sonic interaction design User experience design User interface design Web design
Other applied arts	Public art design Ceramic / glass design Fashion design Costume design Jewellery design Floral design Game art design Property design Scenic design Sound design Stage/set lighting design Textile design
Other design & engineering	Algorithm design Behavioural design Boiler design Database design Drug design Electrical system design Experimental design Filter design Geometric design Work design Integrated circuit design Circuit design Physical design Power network design Mechanism design Nuclear weapon design Nucleic acid design Organization design Process design Processor design Protein design Research design Social design Software design Spacecraft design Strategic design Systems design

Approaches

Tools
Intellectual property
Organizations
Awards

Tools	AAD Architectural model Blueprint Comprehensive layout CAD CAID Virtual home design software CAutoD Design quality indicator Electronic design automation Flowchart Mockup Design specification Prototype Sketch Storyboard Technical drawing HTML editor Website wireframe
Intellectual property	Community design Design around Design infringement Design patent Fashion design copyright Geschmacksmuster Industrial design rights European Union
Organizations	American Institute of Graphic Arts Chartered Society of Designers Design and Industries Association Design Council International Forum Design Design Research Society
Awards	European Design Award German Design Award Good Design Award (Museum of Modern Art) Good Design Award (Chicago Athenaeum) Graphex IF Product Design Award James Dyson Award Prince Philip Designers Prize