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6 responses to 'Graphic Designers least qualified of all discliplines'.

1. IF - Posted on December 23rd, 2005 at 7:40 pm.
2. IF (Preview) - Posted on December 23rd, 2005 at 7:46 pm.

1. 1 Chris Gee
   Posted on December 18th, 2005 at 11:33 pm. About 'Graphic Designers least qualified of all discliplines'.
   

   This is an interesting observation, Niti! It comes at a fascinating time in the life of the graphic design industry.

   There are those who will insist that a 4 year design degree, much less an advanced one, is completely unnecessary to help one to become a competent design professional. There are others still who believe that while there are always a few prodigies who are blessed with skils so advanced they need not special training — whether it be in design, sports, art, music, writing, etc. — those individuals are in the minority, not the majority.

   I fall in line with the latter, not the former. It should come as no surprise to me that there is a large number of unqualified graphic designers. GD, as opposed to the other design disciplines, does not define what constitutes a qualified design professional. We offer neither design professionals nor design clients any yard-stick to evaluate varying levels of professional competence. So in effect, EVERYONE is a designer merely by stating that they are.

   This is an interesting time because now we face a period in time, like many other industries do, where many people can do much of the physical (from the wrists down) type of work that we do. Of course, the skills that have become more valuable and profitable to designers is the more strategic, creative and forward-looking type of work we do (from the neck up).

   We find ourselves in a situation where at the very moment that the market is leaning toward the skills we most urgently need to develop, there is a sizable portion of designers in our industry who doubt that there is even a VALUE in such learned skills. That design education, even on it’s very basic level, is a farce.

   This is a very interesting time. I think graphic design history has tought us that those things we refuse to do, others will do for us. Design thinking is moving forward. D-Schools are advancing at a dizzying pace, all around the globe. A new generation of qualified, learned design thinkers, planners and strategists will emerge in the marketplace. What will that mean to graphic designers? We will be given more “from the wrists down” work and less “from the neck up work”.

   When that happens, I suppose we’ll do a lot of complaining about it. We always do. But I bet few will look back at this moment in time and reflect on the fork in the road we once stood before.

   .chris{}

2. 2 Niti Bhan
   Posted on December 19th, 2005 at 11:02 pm. About 'Graphic Designers least qualified of all discliplines'.
   

   Chris,

   You have hit the nail on the head with your comment that we’re at the fork in the road. To the degree that the product design field has faced increasing competition with lower cost OEMs offering free CAD and basic design work, the GD and the Communication/Branding design industry has still been geographically protected. Partly due to the nature of the work and the need to understand the culture in which you communicate and partly because when it comes to branding and commercial design, the US has been a thought leader. [for pure graphic design I point you to some European and Japanese designers however]

   It is my belief that this will change, if not as easily as the offshoring of back end CAD / production related work, but certainly in creative areas such as content development, entertainment - movies, TV, radio, music - at the very least in advertising [as the industry itself is undergoing a change in focus away from mass media] and soon, branding and graphic design. It is then that the GD community could perhaps begin to perceive the need for increased awareness of the world, business principles and strategy as well as basics of revenue generation and management. What do you say? Isn’t it already more cost effective to outsource the complete layout of a book to a cheaper locale? Isn’t production work already being seperated from actual strategic design in marketing collateral and corporate identity? Aren’t brands increasingly becoming global? And take the interaction/interface design speciality - how much of that development [of the actual software applications and processes] still being conducted in the US? How easy to outsource the UI work as well? Websites?

   These are just thoughts on reading your comment. I could be wrong, but what do you think?

3. 3 Scott Perez-Fox
   Posted on February 17th, 2006 at 2:33 pm. About 'Graphic Designers least qualified of all discliplines'.
   

   Fellas,

   This is a point that is raised time and time again and I always feel strongly about it so I frequently chime in on forums and websites like this. Speaking personally, I am a big fan of “study what you like, practice what you like” where the two are not necessarily the same discipline. It is my belief that the reason we go to Universities (and the reason employers “require” us to do so) is not for the training in a particular field, but just to mature and grow as a professional person and a thinking, functioning adult. I think the most underrated design of all is the one who has a degree is, say Mechanical Engineering, or French, or something that would be seemingly random. He or she instantly brings some new ideas, new thought processes and new logic to the mixing bowl of the moden agency.

   I am relatively young so most of by observations may come to disprove themselves in time, but I have met very few people in the work environment who didn’t have a University degree of one type or another. I also observe that an increasing number of people have Master’s Degrees in design-related fields, including myself. At this point (approx 5 months after completion of the MA course), the additional letters after my name have not translated into any great fortunes (monetary or otherwise) but I am confident that I will make enough in the long run to at least pay off my loans and “break even” on the “investment” that is my MA.

   A lot of people talk about this topic but few propose solutions. Here is my solution: young people and students especially NEED to work. They need to get experience in the field and learn what this profession is all about. For students studying the same subject, it will help them in the classroom, and for those studying something else, it will help them apply skills across different sectors and in turn help them in the classroom and workplace. Unfortunately, the choice to work is not entirely up to the students - employers need to be more welcoming to young people who are of “pre-professional age” and create a culture of learning that extends beyond hiring a summer intern to make coffee. Universities need to develop more flexible work training regimens to suppliment (not replace) their classroom studies and academic base. And students need to explore the possibilities of “alternate” educations, perhaps working and studying part-time for 6 or seven years instead of the usual four-and-out.

   Want more from me, just ask. I got a truckload!

4. 4 GrafxExtreme.com
   Posted on December 13th, 2006 at 2:16 am. About 'Graphic Designers least qualified of all discliplines'.
   

   As a graphic designer working primarily creating website graphics for my clients I run into this a lot. I’ll charge $150 for a header and invariably I have a client tell me that they can get Xcover to create a header for them for $10 to $20.

   My site currently is designed to educate visitors on the differences in graphid designers. And, to explain that just because someone has Photoshop and some actions that doesn’t make them a graphic designer. There is more to it.

   My site is specificially designed to filter out those who want something for nothing and only encourages those who are interested in quality work. I’ve found that those who are looking for something for nothing take more time and effort than those who appreciate quality to begin with.

   I’d rather earn $150 from a client who appreciates quality and I can complete a project in four hours than to work for a client who expects a graphic for $20 and will take up to 20 hours of my time wanting me to “fix” things.

   I think it all comes down to attitude. I know who my niche market is and that’s who I target. As a graphic artist I only have so many hours in a day to create graphics.

   GrafxExtreme.com

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