Forgive the generalization, but designers are easily identified. Whether we’re wearing dark-rimmed glasses, a cheeky bow tie, or an ironic t-shirt, you can always expect to see us with our ever-present coffee cups, Japanese pens, and latest Apple tech in hand. We can be found critiquing the menu typography at lunch and the beer label at happy hour. Sound familiar?
But don’t judge us at face value. We’re not just what you see on the surface. In fact, we are riddled paradoxes. So, before you assume that we’re all just aesthetes, concerned with form over function, let me share a few unexpected attributes of most designers.
Paradox 1. Designers are analytical.
A design solution starts with some type of design problem. At ThoughtForm, we rarely put pen to paper until we’ve done some type of research or analysis of the problem. Sure, we daydream about what the final visual might look like, but more so, we immerse ourselves in source content and research, looking for clues to what will make a successful solution—leaving no stone unturned. (Did I mention designers are slightly OCD?) We call this “wallowing” in the data. The messier the better.
The news alert here (and possibly Paradox 1B) might be that designers like to read. In fact, we’re able to read and synthesize large sets of data into a high-level understanding of a particular topic. Impressive!
Paradox 2. Designers like to organize.
Okay, maybe not our desks, but information. When it comes to information, designers seek order. If something doesn’t belong, out it goes. If two ideas are saying the same thing, we say it once. If a hundred ideas can be organized in five high-level categories, we bucket them. This is how we’re able to convert chaos into clarity. When that happens, it’s a good day for a designer (and typically, a good day for our clients as well).
Paradox 3. Designers think in systems.
Designers are always alert to what came before and what comes after. We never look at a communications problem as an isolated event, because it rarely is. So rather than think of a “one-off solution,” we tend to look at the bigger picture and propose a system that will accommodate a series of communications over a period of time. Rather than consulting on how to hard code and launch a website, we propose a CMS that will permit easier updates in the future. Rather than design a capital campaign one piece at a time, we’ll design the key messages and identity elements for the “family” of materials first.
By thinking in systems, we avoid surprises down the road. A designer (like everyone else on the planet) does not like surprises.
Paradox 4. Designers like constraints…really.
We’ve learned our lesson over the years. Assignments that have no constraints, no criteria, no context are doomed for failure. Also, creating within constraints is inspiring—at least it is to me. “How am I going to beat this system?” Without a clearly defined problem statement, e.g. use case, audience, success measures, you’re designing with blindfolds on. And the final design solution looks arbitrary and unclear.
At ThoughtForm, we thrive on the context and constraints of a project. We start most client engagements with a Vision Catching session in which we define these parameters with the client. Then, our path is clear and we know what we need to design or produce.
Paradox 5. Designers are collaborative.
Artists are solitary. Designers are not. Most design teams thrive on the exchange of ideas that happens between colleagues. And the solution is always better as a result. It’s not that we don’t delegate and go off on our own to do solo work. We do. But then we come back together and review and synthesize the work into a final product.
Our clients see this collaboration and appreciate the value it brings to them.
I’m out of paradoxes, but there’s probably a dozen more. I hope the five I’ve shared with you shatter some myths you might be holding on to about communications designers and convince you that we have broad knowledge and skills, and are constantly looking for opportunities to apply them. That’s how we create value in the world.
By the way, if being a designer means being both creative and analytical at the same time, then everyone I work with at ThoughtForm is a “designer.” It’s not about having a design degree, it’s about having that basic curiosity about life and wanting to make a dent in it in some positive way. So if this sounds like you, but you don’t consider yourself a designer, you might want to re-think that. “Designer” is not just a job title, it’s a way of life. Just don’t forget the cheeky bow tie and designer pen.
John Sotirakis is a designer (dark-rimmed glasses, ever-present coffee cup, likes to wear black a lot), project strategist, and shareholder at ThoughtForm. He helps clients achieve success by transforming their complex stories into clear, engaging, and beautifully-designed communcations. He would like to invite you to submit your own notion of the modern-day designer—paradox or not.