Dropping this here as future reference when discussing the role of the designer in a globalised economy. Should also be useful for a discussion of ethics, recycling, and other new-tech related issues.
Also, find below the Facebook video for comparison. Rather than sticking to "straight journalism" like we see in the YouTube video (thought it's still going for the heartstrings), the Facebook video below is all depressing music and emotive words, which is entirely the reason I have Facebook autoplay videos disengaged!
What is a designer?
A confusing selection of responses based on who knows what. What is a designer? This is something that Poynor gets at to some degree in his piece "Time for being against." If the general public don't have a clue what we're doing then we've failed at communicating our own role. How are we going to convince a client we're valuable?
But then again, if you put a designer on the spot how well will they respond? Is it possible to communicate exactly what we do in just a few seconds in front of a camera?
Off the top of my own head...
What is a designer?
A designers role is to interpret information, sometimes complex, and turn it into something useful. It's a problem-solving position that requires one to look at the world and question the status quo and investigate if things can be done better, if things can be communicated better, if practices can be smoothed out and made simpler. We take ideas and make them reality. We create new things, or fix old ones. A designer uses their "creativity" to craft messages in such a way that their meaning can be predictably interpreted by the receiver. Much of our knowledge comes from semiotics—how signs signify meaning and how that meaning is understood by others. We navigate cultural norms seeking to exploit and subvert them for the good of society (well, that's the goal anyway!).
Not a bad start but needs far more critical support.
"Design is about the future because every form of it manifests the future."
"How and why we affect the future."
"What designers really do... we think."
"Graphic designers think about the meaning of things. How things come to mean what they do. Then ponder how this information might be conveyed and used in a visual manner." — not just visual
"How do materials affect the thing we are creating?"
"Graphic design tries to help others with their world." — external reflection. A form of communication.
"Actively exploits curiosity and mess-making at the same time. Anything close to alchemy practiced today is graphic design. Astounding materials into amazing things. Paid to play." — I've never thought of design as play. Design has always been a process of thinking, sketching, drawing, creating, responding. It's always been structured. The concept of "play" in the sense that coming up with concepts and ideas constitutes unstructured and unrestrained practice, the idea that every iteration of a concept or sketch is working towards a "final performance"—the finished design artefact. But is it play? I'm not sure. I'll have to read into this some more. Hell, sometimes designing isn't fun at all. It can be bloody hard. Like a solid sprint where you wonder if you're getting anywhere at all then "BAM!" the deadline hits and its over and you wonder what just happened. Or a marathon, where your muscles ache and you constantly hit brick walls before finding stride only to need regular water refreshments and in the end you finish the race and collapse to one side and need to recover for a week. Sure, it can be fun sometimes. But if you're working as a designer, it's not fun most of the time, well, at least in my experience.
"Service oriented profession. Perform transformative role. Change perception of information to provide audience with understanding."
Poor communication leads to greater problems.
Graphic design is mediatory.
Help make sense of what is being said and present this information in visual ways.
We are artists. Analogue and digital media to create beautiful messages to provide better information.
Narrative structure of visual delivery.
"It is our responsibility to show the visual representation of linguistic ideas."
"We use a branch of linguistic philosophy known as semiotics... study the signs and signifiers and understand how this relationship creates meaning and affects communication. Critical tool when crafting messages because it allows us to observe the underlying mechanics of how meaning is constructed."
"Design must understand the greater culture to produce meaning for a particular audience."
"What works in one environment can be disastrous in another."
"I the end graphic design is the visual manifestation of a good idea."
Good design results from honesty, respect and trust. Also, understanding, research and trial and error.
"Design is an investment and investments only mature in the future. Good ideas grow. Our world depends on them."
Is Graphic Design alchemy?
What is alchemy?
What does it mean?
I hate describing design as something so mystical as alchemy. Alchemy wasn't a proven science—it was almost wishful thinking. Like homeopathy.
