“Oh, so your one of THOSE….”
By megan dealFebruary 3rd, 2008
By: Megan Deal
Recently, I spent a solid half hour in the school cafeteria, chatting away with another student. We were table mates by default really, she approaching me and my unoccupied seats in a desperate attempt to find for herself a place to land and enjoy her lunch. I introduced myself, she did the same, and we proceeded to talk about a variety of topics ranging from Detroit to the over-priced sandwiches offered in the cafe. As we casually spoke to one another, I remember thinking to myself, “Wow…how nice; how exciting to be interacting with a student from another discipline.” Then, as we both described the structures of our respected curriculums, along with the type of classes that we each take, something happened. This girl, this seemingly pleasant girl, looked me dead in the eye and said: “You see, the thing I don’t get about graphic design is that you’ll do anything to make money…it’s like you sell yourselves out.”
I’m not certain, but I would venture to guess that my mouth dropped wide open, and hung in that position for several unnoticed minutes. I couldn’t believe it! Why would someone say such a thing? Where would one get such an exaggerated idea? Not wanting to cause a scene nor let the ignorance of my “new friend” upset me, I made a stupid joke, (something about designers as prostitutes) hastily finished my lunch, and removed myself from the table.
Since this amusing little episode, I’ve spent a good deal of time dwelling over this girl’s comment. I have begun to realize that this wasn’t an insult from a malicious or arrogant student, but rather an insult from the uninformed. If she, an art student herself, hasn’t the faintest ideas what a graphic designer does, what does the rest of the world think? I certainly know what the majority of people in my world think: My dentist thinks that I design buildings, my next door neighbor is certain that I design cars, and even my own mother brags to her friends that I make “billboards and stuff.” If design surrounds us, if it truly is everywhere, then why do so few people seem to have an understanding of what it is?
I am less concerned with how the design profession has gotten itself into this predicament, (perhaps I or another interested party will explore that bit of history in another post) and much more interested in how we may be able to change the skewed view of design that many hold. Truth be told, there exists no miniature pocket pamphlet that describes for the general public, in 100 words or less, “What is Graphic Design.” In fact, if such a leaflet did exist, it would be very difficult to sum up the broad, and continually evolving field into a concise and decipherable paragraph. And how on earth, might we be able to present a comprehensive definition of design to the general public, if designers themselves cannot even agree. Conflicting ideas constantly surface among design students and practitioners, sparking sometimes heated debates on almost every thinkable design issue. One only has to look as far as the next up and coming blog to see the plethora of differing viewpoints on a variety of different topics. Indeed there seems to be very few common agreements found within the growing design discourse. Yet, I would defend the wide range of viewpoints, the countless number of diverse voices, and the continual questions designers like to throw at one another. Design discourse must uphold this critical nature if design is to continue shifting and adapting within the existing culture. Disagreement simply comes with the territory.
This, of course, still leaves the problem of defining ourselves to the non-designing public. With the birth and growth of DIY culture (see PERSPECTIVE magazine) everyone can be a “designer” these days. Its plausible to think that someone may design their own logo, stick it on all of their collateral and presume that professional graphic designers do the same thing. Anyone with a design background or knowledge of the profession and its history knows well enough that design has just as much to do with the “why” behind the creation of things as it has to do with the creation of the thing itself. Yet to the general public, this question of “why” along with all of the research and thought that forms the basis of our design decisions, gets overlooked. And really, when you think about it, how could it not? One cannot physically SEE the creative process develop, but they can see the logo you’ve made for them, which was really all they asked for in the first place. The focus rests on the tangible; the logo, book, website, poster, or billboard that you’ve created. The creative process, the inherent part of design that we politely ask our clients and teachers to trust that we’re doing, matters only to the design creator, not the design consumer. Perhaps here lies where things must change. If designers themselves, begin to describe their work in terms of the “why,” the “how,” and the “because of,” moving deeper then just a physical result, then perhaps designers and non-designers alike can head towards a direction of common understanding. Though designers may not all agree on issues of sustainability, or have identical methods in client relations, or use the same typefaces, the one thing that we all share is a common understanding and respect of the creative process. We must move away from defining our profession by the things we make, and instead focus on the significant ways we get there.
I have experienced simliar reactions from friends and family when I discuss my profession with them.
Typical responses include;
What kind of job can you get doing that?
Can you get a job in Michigan doing that?
Are you going to work in automotive then?
So you can make websites and stuff… can you make me one for my (Ebay/Sports Fanclub/Etc) hobby?
Yeah i’ve read about that in a book once….
I have a friend/relative who does design in (State X), they do architectural and engineering drafts with design. Can you do that?
Oh that’s like working on AutoCAD right?
And many, many weird and uninformed reactions…
Needless to say that it’s apparent that design is more transparent than perhaps even graphic designers believe. That leaves only the truly professional to know and understand what it means to be a ‘graphic designer’… which ultimately, may not be that bad of a thing… I’ll let you decide.
I forgot the worst offender of all…
“So you design… I have a (friend/relative) who is about to (get married/have a baby/graduate/etc) can you DESIGN THE INVITATIONS?”
Well said Megan. Funny, my dental hygienist when asking what I did for a living said similarly “so, you make buildings right?”
This reminds me of the numerous posts on craigslist.org I’ve seen, made by design professionals stating that wanting to hire someone with x and x and x skills but wanting to pay them the wages of someone who did not go to college is an insult to our value as designers. You get what you pay for… and with so many companies springing up whitewashed with similarly bad logos and websites, its no wonder the general public has a misconception of the worth of design.
I agree that the general public thinks graphic designers only make a product, and they don’t realize it’s about a service, research and process and more… All the “supposed professional design firms” that keep popping up online that charge by product make it even worse I think. I mean, how can you expect a logo for $150 or less? People don’t realize the hours of work that goes into everything. They think a logo is just a drawing you put together real quick, shouldn’t take long, right? The other day my mom asked me to make an identity for my parents’ business. She told me to have 3 designs ready in an hour…..uhh yeah. I was disappointed… for somebody who sees nearly all my process work and stress that goes into every project to just not get it is disappointing.
Especially with the DIY stuff now, I don’t think people really value design anymore. They think anyone that has illustrator or photoshop can instantly design. They believe the ability to design only comes with obtaining design software.
today on the discovery channel they referred to a man who was photoshop-ing possible objects mistaken for UFO’s into a forest scene as a graphic designer…it really is striking how little people really know about what graphic design is. Butperhaps this man is on the Discovery channel told someone he was a graphic designer so thats what they called hi on the show. I think since the general public, at least in our country, doesn’t really look at as much “good” graphic design every day like we tend to, they have a lower standard for what to expect from a designer and want quick and cheap designs.
Back to the origin of this story. The girl. I really wish the effort was made to teach this individual something about what we do. We all know well enough that what we do is much more than what the majority of people think when they hear “Graphic Design.”
I am not saying lecture this young woman with a specific definition of graphic design, but leaving her with something more is better than nothing at all.
Maybe that is just my opinion, but as designers we don’t have to communicate through our work alone. We were all given voices that need to take advantage opportunities such as this.
Yes, I think its important to inform the general public what we do as designers…but how? How does one describe the profession without always referring to the specific things we “make.” My earlier point suggests that its difficult to describe the design process to someone because the creative route we travel is intangible, making it difficult to grasp. Its no wonder why the general public thinks that we just sit down at a computer and make things.
my “moment” came when i first got out of undergrad. i met up with a high school classmate i had not seen for 4-5 years. she asked what i was doing and i mentioned that i was a graphic designer. without hesitation she blurted out “REALLY!!! i work in a dentist office and we have this software that shows patients what their teeth will look like after a procedure. that’s what you DO, right?” after wiping the dirt off as i picked my jaw off the floor, i recovered and said “yeah, that’s exactly what i DO.”
i still don’t know what “DO” meant, but what i know is that we as a design community must do a better job of promoting our craft to a broader audience and educating our clients. if not, we will continue to witness the look of bewilderment and confusion on people’s face when they ask us about our beloved profession.
I, like everyone else responding to this post, can completely sympathize with you on this matter. As a working designer I would love to have my efforts appreciated by the general public. I would love to receive the same recognition when I state the name of the institution I graduated from that those who spent most likely an equal amount of time on homework at an Ivy League school get from their dentists and extended relatives. In an ideal world, graphic design would be viewed as a powerful tool that affects the daily lives of everyone, just as modern medicine is (I am in no way trying to undermine the value of modern medicine or the appreciation I have for those working in the medical field). Unfortunately for us, this is not the case.
Most CCS students spend a great deal of time working incredibly hard at school, pouring their blood, sweat and tears into their work, I know I certainly did. However, as much as I would love to say I did all of this solely to better myself as a designer, at the back of my head there was a large part of me that was making the grades and pulling the all nighters in an attempt to prove to my friends, my parents, my former high school classmates that Art School isn’t a joke.
I’ve found even from my closest friends, a very bizarre sort of accomplishment when they realize the vast reach that some of the projects I have worked on have had. Generally, it’s not these same projects that bring me personal satisfaction with the work that I do. I do not sleep easier at night knowing that Bob Smith in Duluth, MN has received a very well typeset brochure about a sweepstakes sponsored by client Y. Reactions like this, from people are more well aware than the average person (because they are close to me I MAKE them aware) are even more telling of the importance for graphic designers to not only have necessary technical skills but additionally superb verbal communication skills. It is extremely important for designers to be able to not only articulate themselves but also to step back from their work and become an educator to their client who most likely, does not have the faintest idea why research and thorough process work are necessary in the early stages of their project.
On a secondary note, I think that this conflict of a lack of understanding of the significance design plays in their lives from the public at large is very much cultural. After having spent time in Europe (more specifically in the Netherlands) as a member of Deprogram 07, I can assure you this is not the case everywhere. It was certainly refreshing to see that there are places in the world where even the government understands that design is something worth investing in. This understanding is what allows for designers working in the Netherlands to create interesting, conceptually rich work. In fact, there were a number of small firms that were able to start their independent firms right out of college because they applied for government grant money from the government to pay for the expenses of starting a company. That’s right, not a loan, not something they have to pay back, the government granted these designers the funds to start their own firms because the Dutch government has a very good (and might I add unique) understanding of the importance of design.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had the luxury of working in such an environment? How did the Dutch government and public get to this place, to this level of appreciation and understanding? It’s hard to say, I really haven’t the faintest clue myself other than that I think it takes a tremendous amount of pressure and open communication from our end to educate those ignorant of design’s influence on their lives. Is it impossible to have “good” clients in Michigan? No, I don’t think so, but I think it’s largely up to us to make them good clients.
*Also, to answer Megan’s question about HOW to convey what we do other than listing things like “I make logos” I think its crucially important to drive home the fact that what drives Graphic Design is conveying complex ideas in a simple and visual way. Graphic Design is about ideas; Advertising is about selling a product. Either way, the end medium (print, web, business card, logo, poster etc.) could be anything; it’s the concept and the idea driving the design that dictates the medium of the end product.
I swear I wish I had a voice recorder in my pocket when I was first introduced to the department by Sue LaPorte my freshmen year. She went into great detail about “problem solving” and “possibilities” and being “culturally aware,” she summed it up so beautifully and it was so inspiring. She should write the pocket pamphlet for sure ; )
I feel what the lunchbreak girl
was speaking upon.
I feel that.
Fortunatly I’m all aout exploitation
and
$elling out!
I have a few fine art friends,. and to be honest
I don’t get the idea of NOT SELLING OUT.
I’m trying to survive.
stealing bread from CVS is getting old.