Design should be traumatic
Have you ever felt that what you’re designing is just too easy? Or maybe it got a bit “samey” and you don’t know what happened? Well, that’s because you’re probably doing it wrong. Design is quite tough, you know? Like everything else in this world, the better you are at it… the harder you will have to push yourself to get the best possible results.
When you start to get into that relaxed “it’s easy” zone, then you have stopped trying to do something different. Every project is different, and all clients are different, but your fundamental goal should be the same – awesome work every time (by your own standard).
Nobody will push you harder than yourself.
Why bother? Well… interesting question. It depends on your general outlook on what “good” design really is. Do you want to be known as someone who plays it safe? Or someone who takes the risk and gets the win? It depends how you roll. Personally, I think every designer owes it to themselves to continue to develop their skills and improve on their creative problem solving ability.
The better you are, the more money you can earn. That’s nothing new, and I’m sure you already knew that. For a lot of designers it’s never about the money, but the love for the work. You just need paid what you feel you are worth (which differs for everyone).
Your work is your reputation – do it well.
I hope non-designers will be able to understand what I’m saying in this article too. Design is tough because it’s so simple. If you are thinking about hiring a designer, I would always grill them about their process to get some insight into how they think, if they haven’t already explained all of that to you. There are some designers who just find an idea and settle.
The better the designer… the greater the trauma they will put themselves through to produce the best ideas for you.
What are your thoughts?
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Each client is different, no doubt. And at any time, each has the capacity to throw a heavy spanner in the works. Good design is also about managing expectations.
That’s another really good point, David! The clients expectations needs to be managed – if they get promised the world, and you under-deliver… you will only do yourself harm!
Mark, I think it does come down to expectations, not just the clients but also our own. How far we are willing to push to find a solution that works for the client and ourselves. I know with logo design it can sometimes be easy to arrive at a design that the client would be happy with, yet we know deep down that it might not be the best solution possible. Only after we have really pushed ourselves can we be satisfied that we’ve given our all to arrive at that design.
Paul, you are quite right! It depends what your own expectations are for your own work, and how much you want to stretch yourself. Not every project will have the scope to explore the more abstract ideas, but those are the ones that designers should savour and enjoy when they do get them!
I know that every time I have to design something I go through a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, at points I just feel like throwing in the towel because I don’t think what I’ve come up with is good enough. However, at some point I always manage to find a solution, and it’s such an adrenaline pumping experience when you get that first taste of the good idea, the one that ups your game.
So for me, design is very traumatic.
Of course, it’s very easy to take on a project and just do what you always do, and you could probably go on doing that for years unnoticed (I’ve seen it happen). It’s only when you stick your head out of your little bubble do you realise how far behind you are. But with so much stuff going on now, places to see, share and interact with inspirational design and designers at your fingertips; it’s easier for people to get their head out that bubble than it ever was.