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I recently attended the Design Currency conference in Vancouver, and two of the presentations stand out most clearly for me: Marian Bantjes’ strong defense of artistry and craft in design and Frank Chimero’s lively and compelling argument for the pursuit of a sense of delight in user interfaces (and design in general).
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 (and the conference dug into this at length as well). I have long been an advocate of a stronger business focus in design – informed in no small part by my past corporate marketing experience – and a clear separation between art and design. However, the closer our profession has aligned itself to these ideals, the more I have felt that something is missing. The Bantjes/Chimero one-two punch was the clarion call I needed to put language to this gut feeling. It’s not easy to say, but I think I got it wrong; I’m not happy simply being a tool of business.
It makes my clients (both small and large) comfortable when I explain design as a business tool; it makes something intangible feel solid, valuable and measurable. Comfortable clients, as we all know, are easier to work with. However, I now feel that this emphasis on design as a tool strips it of its magic, its mystery. And it is magic, but that’s not a bad thing. Give ten designers the same inputs and you will get ten different solutions. That’s really a wonderful thing; in Frank Chimero’s words, a “delightful” thing.
Deep down, underneath the strategy and process, design is art. It is art in support of, and in collaboration with, business (I’m using the term ‘business’, but substitute ‘non-profit communications’ or whatever you want), but it still springs from unfathomable depths; the unpredictable sum of our hearts, minds, senses and experiences. It isn’t measurable (though many of the the artifacts of design are), it isn’t comfortable and we should embrace that – because if we don’t, then ourclients never will. Our clients need us to help them differentiate themselves, to carve out their niche in the world, and we do them a disservice by denying the core of what we do, who we are and what we can offer them.
I’m not advocating that we, as a profession, turn back the clock on the advances we’ve made gaining acceptance in the business world; only that we not trade the artistry, the craft, and the sense of wonder and delight that design is capable of, just to secure that chair at the table.
One final thought: yes, framing design as a just another business tool makes clients comfortable, but maybe that’s actually a bad thing. After all, comfort leads to complacency and, in the business world, complacency is the fastest route to irrelevance and death. Maybe I need to make my clients a little less comfortable.
Matt Politano, MGDC, runs Oculus Design + Marketing in Victoria, BC. He calls himself an artist but doesn't even own a black turtleneck or a beret. If you want to subject yourself to more of his ramblings, you can follow him on Twitter.
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Yesterday, in Ethics class at UniRitter (Graphic Design Graduation University in Brazil) some words of my teacher and classmates made me ask myself about the essentials of design, I mean, it's true nature.
I believe that we, designer, are something much bigger then business, because our focus is not in the marketing, sales, etc.
For me, our activity is much more related to solve problems, solve people problems. Improve the society with our ideas and projects, giving to people a better life quality.
Our compromise is not with clients/corporations, but with people. The ones who will make direct use of our solutions. Thats our responsability.
Also, we need clients, of course... We need investors to our ideas become true. But we are not allowed to forget about who we are responsable for, and it means people and our eviroment.
Yours sincerely, Felipe Barcellos, 21 years, brasilian design student.
Brilliantly said. Feels like there's a day-to-day struggle against simply being a tool (har har). I feel design is so much more than pushing pixels, but some days it's hard to get anyone on that side when bills have to be paid and clients have to be made happy.
I think the issue here is in the vocabulary. Phrasing design as simply a 'tool' for business makes it sound supplementary, rather than necessary. I can understand how this might comfort a client of the business world that is uneducated in the VALUE of good design. Good design adds value by how it informs us, how it stimulates us, how it gives meaning and creates new meaning, how it serves purpose, how it makes things more efficient, how it delights, enchants and entertains us, how it influences us on a conscious and subconscious level, how it is honest and how it lasts. As a designer these are some the aspects of design that I value, and I feel that it is my responsibility to uphold these values — not just for my client but for design as a whole.
We must be more responsible, take our profession more seriously in how it is understood and perceived. This is our responsibility and is largely accomplished through us educating and informing our clients on the value of good design. If we do not do this we risk devaluing how our profession is perceived — in this case a mundane instrument only to be called when needed to supplement something else. Neglecting our responsibilities to educate and inform our clients because we have found a way to persuade them into doing business with us through our vocabulary makes us sound like marketers, rather than designers.
Don't make your clients uncomfortable; take the time to educate them. They will have more respect for you and the work you do, because this is what it is all about — VALUE.
I agree with Joshua; creative types need to add value to businesses if they want to serve them well and be rewarded with compensation.
Poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen put it well when he said he’s been able to satisfy a certain principle, which is that he doesn’t work for pay; he gets paid for his work.
Unfortunately, most designers, copywriters and developers don’t have that luxury, where you produce a painting or novel, and the masses line up to pay top dollar. So we must provide a solution (be it via design or another form) that helps businesses achieve their objectives and goals.
Fortunately, if you have a passion for your craft, deep knowledge and experience, and a demonstrate you understand a client’s corporate objectives and goals, there are businesses that will grant you the creative license and freedom to devise the solution.
But I don’t agree there’s value in making clients “a little less comfortable.” Education is the tool that can help build mutual trust and respect. Designers should create solutions, not problems.
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