Great Design is Not Enough!

One of my personal quirks (although I’m sure I’m not alone in this) is that I like to post reminders to myself on my computer or phone desktop. Rather than the traditional sticky note, I typically opt for a digital version, so every time I look at my phone to check the time or navigate to my computer’s desktop, I get a reminder to CLEAN YOUR OFFICE. Sometimes I create my own. Often, I download the inspiring work of other artists who share my need for an organized working space.

I downloaded one recently that has sort of become my mantra lately. It says “great design is not enough.”

Early in my college career, I understood art and design to be primarily subjective fields. I spent days on end throwing pots in the ceramics studio or splaying charcoal gestures across newsprint. But aside from basic preparation (and not by any fault of my instructors), I gave little thought to any strategic element of my “work.”

Fast-forward to present day, where the majority of what I do is intended to meet a specific set of goals. Some might argue that my current work is less creative (no one has ever asked me to throw a vase to recruit more students). But I would counter that the nature of my work now demands a different kind of creativity, one that is strategically driven.

Before I go any further, let me be clear that I’m not advocating one type of art over the other. In fact, I would argue that really great fine art is just as strategic as great design. But the goals of fine artists are often different from those of graphic designers. That is, the goal of fine art is often to create something of beauty, or at the very least, to provoke a response. Viewers of fine art often spend a great deal of time taking in the details in order to appreciate the artist’s point of view. By contrast, a graphic designer’s work is typically intended to communicate a point quickly and succinctly. The cleverness in the details is often appreciated as an afterthought, but strategic elements are what typically define a designer’s work as effective.

The challenge this poses for designers is that many clients still view graphic design as more of a fine art than a strategic art. I don’t have any data to support this, but my suspicion is that the far-too-common requests to make the logo bigger are not necessarily done so much to address a specific goal (i.e., we need to strengthen brand recognition) as to satisfy a creative whim (i.e., I like it better that way). It’s easy to imagine how maddening this would be for a designer who looks for strategic solutions in every part of their project. But it’s just as easy to see how a client, having commissioned a work of art, might be put off by working with such a moody designer.

Which brings me back to this idea of great design not being enough. It’s more than irksome to me to think that no matter how technically competent I may become at my job, my expertise will ultimately not cut it. But I have to face the fact that doing my job well means more than meeting self-imposed strategic goals. After all, if they are my goals alone, then my clients may not realize the benefits – or worse yet, I may be selling them something in which they have no interest. I do myself, my clients, and other designers a disservice when I fail to educate and learn from my clients.

I can’t claim to have this worked out. I’m still looking for a respectful way to ensure client and designer are on the same page. Maybe it’s a carefully crafted paragraph in a contract. Or a web page that describes my process. I’m open to suggestions here.

But until I get it figured out (and maybe after), I’ll have to keep reminding myself that great design isn’t enough.