:::Warning - Rant Coming:::
I do not want to add 2 apple pies for $1.
I do not want to sign up for your newsletter.
I do not care to give you my email address.
I do not want to ruin my credit and save 10% by signing up for a credit card.
No, I am not a priority member, and no, I do not want to sign up.
You do not need my zip code to complete this transaction.
Paper or plastic? Surprise me.
I do not have a preference of whether the receipt is with me or in the bag.
I just want to check out. And, I'd like to do it as quickly as possible, please.
:::End of Rant:::
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Questioning Your Designer
This post by Seth Godin resonates with me. I'm a designer so it should resonate with me. I do think most people don't realize that most graphic designers have good reasons for the design decisions they make. Good design doesn't just happen.
For example, if you don't understand how this mathematical equation (known as the Golden Ratio) is at the heart of good design, you probably shouldn't critique your designer's work:
Or, if you can't list all of the primary colors of the color wheel, the secondary colors, or the complimentary colors of those primary and secondary colors...it's possible that you don't know as much about design as you think you do.
Or, do you know what psychological effects various colors have on people? Perhaps you should Google it before you meet with your designer about your brochure design.
Some say that this is me being hateful and/or arrogant. They may be partially correct...but it seems to me that a lot of people think that designers just throw some pictures on a piece of paper using trial and error and hope that it works out in a good design. It's amazing to me how many times I've heard of someone with no design training nor skill think that purchasing Adobe Photoshop will magically transform them into a good designer. It's the equivalent of thinking that purchasing an adding machine will make you a good accountant or that buying a big red toolbox will make you a good mechanic. Good design usually doesn't just happen. It's usually the result of strategic & calculated decision making.
So, yes I probably have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I'm probably a little overly sensitive (or, cocky as some would say). But at least now you know how we designers feel when you start second-guessing. We're here to serve...but we hope you can learn to trust the reasoning behind our design.
What do you think? Do you think a person has to understand the theory behind a discipline before they have the right to critique products of that discipline? Leave me your thoughts in the comments.
For example, if you don't understand how this mathematical equation (known as the Golden Ratio) is at the heart of good design, you probably shouldn't critique your designer's work:
Or, if you can't list all of the primary colors of the color wheel, the secondary colors, or the complimentary colors of those primary and secondary colors...it's possible that you don't know as much about design as you think you do.
Or, do you know what psychological effects various colors have on people? Perhaps you should Google it before you meet with your designer about your brochure design.
Some say that this is me being hateful and/or arrogant. They may be partially correct...but it seems to me that a lot of people think that designers just throw some pictures on a piece of paper using trial and error and hope that it works out in a good design. It's amazing to me how many times I've heard of someone with no design training nor skill think that purchasing Adobe Photoshop will magically transform them into a good designer. It's the equivalent of thinking that purchasing an adding machine will make you a good accountant or that buying a big red toolbox will make you a good mechanic. Good design usually doesn't just happen. It's usually the result of strategic & calculated decision making.
So, yes I probably have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I'm probably a little overly sensitive (or, cocky as some would say). But at least now you know how we designers feel when you start second-guessing. We're here to serve...but we hope you can learn to trust the reasoning behind our design.
What do you think? Do you think a person has to understand the theory behind a discipline before they have the right to critique products of that discipline? Leave me your thoughts in the comments.
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