Design Matters

Everything around us is designed - some designed well, others not so well. Every product, every system, every organization, every piece of communication reveals some level of design. I'm going to bet you never even thought about it. Why? You don't have to. Design surrounds us. Design is part of who we are. How we live. What we buy, drive, eat, read, watch. Design helps us decide whether to turn left or right, go in or stay out. We make thousands of decisions every day at the mercy of a designer. The speed that we make decisions is only rivaled by our G3 networks. So why should you think about design? There is no need to think - just react.

Thinking about design is our job. We are the ones who lie awake at night thinking about the effects of color, the shape of letters, the size of the words. We consider the way things feel when you touch it or what happens when you click. Our hours are spent asking if the product is too heavy, too big or too awkward. Is the communication easy to understand and does it convey the right message? We are constant critics. A simple drive to the grocery store can drive a designer insane - constantly studying the signage, product packaging and floor layout. Ask my wife, everywhere we go becomes a critique.

This is what a designer's life is. Seeing things, analyzing things, creating things. Product designers, fashion designers, interior and building designers, we are all the same. But I am a communication designer - more commonly known as a graphic designer (I'm more inclined to think of it as experience design, but we'll cover that later) - so the majority of my blogging will be related to that focus. My goal is to not just point out good design from bad design, or to simply promote the talents within our studio. What I'm really hoping to accomplish is to inspire the non-designer to understand and appreciate why design matters.

Throughout my career, I've seen many businesses approach graphic designers as if they are simply arrogant artists employing their talents in order to profit from basic business needs. "I just need a logo - nothing too fancy", "just a rack brochure is fine, nothing too complicated". What they are really saying is that, "I am willing to stake my business on mediocracy." What they fail to realize is that good communication design is not just about colors and composition, it is a study of the effects that those design elements have on human behavior. As Americans, we are a visual society, first impressions are lasting impressions. Good design moves people, and when people are moved, products begin to move, and when products move, business begins to move in a positive direction.

Who knows, maybe good communication design is what we need to stimulate the economy...