This is a slightly edited version of what I had written in response to a post titled Thinking Out Loud About Pro Bono, posted by Marie-Aline Oliver on the GDC listserv, on November 11, 2010. To my surprise, and judging by the on and off-line responses it generated, it appears this is a very important issue for designers everywhere, especially younger designers.

Where does one begin when attempting to put into words “Where would we be today without the vision of Steve Jobs?” And by “we” I mean more than graphic and communication designers, I mean everyone: designers, clients, students, teachers, grandparents, children...

Calgary's Foundry Creative is working on a sustainability-themed annual report for the GDC and we want to include words from our members on how they view the topic.

There has been a great deal of discussion in our community regarding ‘design thinking’ and design’s relevance and value to the business community and other buyers of design. I have long been an advocate of a stronger business focus in design – but the closer our profession has aligned itself to these ideals, the more I have felt that something has gone astray. It’s not easy to say, but I think I got it wrong; I’m not happy simply being a tool of business.

All too often we designers can get caught up in a battle of egos with our clients. Raise your hand if you've ever said the following, "but the client hired US because WE'RE the experts! They should listen to us!" Yeah, me too. But here's something we can stand to be reminded of: our clients are the experts in THEIR field, and part of our job should be using that to our mutual advantage. They know their audience better than we do, and while we shouldn't allow ourselves to be made into pixel-pushers, we often have to learn how to better collaborate.

I was at my fiancée's parents' place last weekend, and they had something very interesting sitting on their coffee table. In very good condition, it was the 10 year anniversary edition of Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone magazine was started in 1967, which meant that the magazine I was looking at was printed in 1977 - 32 years ago for those of you keeping count. I figured I'd have a look and see what layout trends I could pick up...