What are the basic design principles

Design principles are not rules. They are discoveries made through careful attention to how things actually work. The deepest ones are almost embarrassingly simple: let function lead, let form follow, and resist the urge to decorate what is already whole. A lota holds water perfectly without a single unnecessary curve. That is a principle. But principles also live in time and surprise. A stone dropped in still water creates ripples that rearrange everything. Good design does the same. It transforms static situations into dynamic experiences, tickling the senses in ways the designer never fully planned. Perhaps the most honest principle is this: design is not a finished thing.