Comments on: Are You A Good Designer? http://www.NotesOnDesign.net/inspiration/design/are-you-a-good-designer/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:09:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David C. Baker http://www.NotesOnDesign.net/inspiration/design/are-you-a-good-designer/comment-page-1/#comment-146861 David C. Baker Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:58:48 +0000 http://www.notesondesign.net/design/are-you-a-good-designer/#comment-146861 I'm overstating it a bit, here, but essentially nobody is listening to designers on this front...except other designers. I believe that's because society as a whole doesn't believe in the relevancy of design, though sometimes they appreciate it. But more troubling to me than that is what I call the "selective ethics" of the design community. They seem to be more interested in social change outside their businesses than inside their businesses. It's easier for them to make villains of consumerism and commerce, all the while failing to be reasonably profitable (this is a business, after all), treating employees with respect by managing them actively, and so on. Designers can be more excited about the opportunity to apply their design skills to an entirely new industry than the opportunity to do truly effective work for an industry in which they already have significant expertise. Until designers admit their marginalization, trace it properly to their own failings, and begin to treat this like a business, they will not have the audience they covet. I’m overstating it a bit, here, but essentially nobody is listening to designers on this front…except other designers. I believe that’s because society as a whole doesn’t believe in the relevancy of design, though sometimes they appreciate it. But more troubling to me than that is what I call the “selective ethics” of the design community. They seem to be more interested in social change outside their businesses than inside their businesses. It’s easier for them to make villains of consumerism and commerce, all the while failing to be reasonably profitable (this is a business, after all), treating employees with respect by managing them actively, and so on. Designers can be more excited about the opportunity to apply their design skills to an entirely new industry than the opportunity to do truly effective work for an industry in which they already have significant expertise.

Until designers admit their marginalization, trace it properly to their own failings, and begin to treat this like a business, they will not have the audience they covet.

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