Rebel. As designers it’s a word we need to always have as our touchstone. Creating design can be a very individual thing, never the same way twice or the same way for each designer. It’s a unique intangible that at times can’t be defined. However, what the subtext of both this class and it’s tandem twin is the idea of creating stronger designs through stronger process.
What can we bring to the final outcome of design as designers? Can we innovate and rebel in something as pedestrian as a business card redesign? Can we change the world with every thing we design? No we can’t. What we can do is attempt to bring the best of ourselves to all aspects of our designs. We can seek out those areas where we can challenge expectations and assumptions. It’s our responsibility as designers to challenge when and where we can and be rebellious if we need to be. We can be the voices for something better. If we push where and when we can we can create a greater level of expectations and raise the bar on assumptions.
By raising the bar on expectations and assumptions we all can work to help define and develop a stronger design community, one where we are viewed in the light of quality and value. We are all aware of the fact that you swing a cat and you hit a designer. Is the designer skilled? Is the design developed with strong process and thinking? Most likely not. While those designers have their place, they bring us all down. They are the ones who quit mid-project, they present work that doesn’t meet expectations and in general bring us all down.
As a community we are only as strong as our weakest links. As artists and designers the only people that really are there as a support community are other designers and artists. To make the community stronger we need to step up and be the leaders. We need to show both inside and outside the community what real designers are and can be. We also when and where possible reach out to the rest of the community and mentor each other. We can be stronger together than we ever can be alone.