The Prepared Mind Discussion about designing human interaction.

Mike Rohde, of the Rohdesign Weblog, was good enough to forward a wonderful article to me this morning. The article, The Thin PMS 185 Line, is an excellent critique of the graphic design industry written by Andy Rutledge.

I’ve not read Andy’s writings before but something tells me I will in the future. Andy, apparently not one to waste time, begins the article with a bang in writing:

What follows is a critique of the traditional graphic design community and its various instruments, albeit from someone other than a traditional graphic designer. I don’t write this article in order to bring ridicule upon graphic designers, but rather to shine a light on misguided practices and destructive ideals I want kept out of my own segment of the community – interactive/experience design.

Wow! Nice preamble. Instantly I was intrigued. What “misguided practices”, or better yet, which ones? I, along with some of my podcast guests, have been critical of the design industry at times so I was interested to hear what his observations were. He goes on to write:

Open any graphic design magazine or go to any graphic design organization’s website and there is one feature you will always find: information about design awards. There is always a Call For Entries or a listing of what individuals or which agency just won some award or another. Visit just about any ad agency’s website and you’re apt to find a main navigation link to “awards.”

The graphic design community is terribly distracted by the urge to win awards and then to show them off to others. And there is one common thread running through the vast majority of these awards contests, that of subjective beauty and evaluation of pure creativity. One has to wonder how tangible value to clients figures into all of this. The graphic design culture clearly champions peer-driven accolades for over client benefit from its work. And this is especially troubling, as the design profession has little to do with subjective appreciation and everything to do with problem-solving success.

Well said! During my time in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago, I had plenty of time to speak with the other judges on our distinguished panel. It was interesting to compare and contrast competitions like ReBrand, which centers around before/after case studies, and the majority of design competitions that are basically nothing but “beauty contests” that place an emphasis on pretty pictures and eye-catching graphics but precious little emphasis on whether the resulting design actually solved a design problem or not.

What does it say about the design community that we place so much value in these self-glorifying contests?

Finally, Andy writes this bit:

So still, there is this preoccupation with being notable and doing notable things rather than being relevant and doing useful things. As a designer, such ideals inspire contempt, at least from me. As I’m surrounded by people who concern themselves with doing right by the client and serving the client’s aims and needs appropriately, I can find no kinship with such ridiculous concerns as lamented by DK Holland. She goes on to observe:

“…but graphic designers (at least the ones I have known and admired) …their motivation is creative expression. It’s about tackling a problem with gusto and arriving at an exquisite design solution; more specifically, it’s about creating beauty, and loving the beauty they create.” (3)

Again, subjective concerns, introspection and self-indulgence. I guess I am not cut out to be a graphic designer; at least as AIGA defines it. Designers I know and work with are too concerned with solving problems and communicating effectively for clients. To my perception, that is design. Anything else characterized as design is just some perverted ideal perpetuated by people and organizations I just don’t understand and don’t care to.

Ouch! Sad but very, very true. I encourage everyone to read the entire article rather than just these excerpts. We designers speak quite a bit about how we want design/designers to be taken more seriously by the business world but it seems that first change must come from within.

Let’s keep the conversation going.

.chris{}