Storytelling, user-oriented hyper designer & other myths.

If a design object is intended to be ever used by anyone, then it should be designed with a prospect user in mind. 

In case you missed it, user-centred (or centered, hello America!) approach is believed to be one of the latest achievements in design practice. According to publications of all sorts across the web, it must be certainly something BIG. Even this post accounts to that overwhelming – and still growing – number. Sounds like breaking news. A game changer. Is it really?

If so, we are clearly depreciating design’s history and heritage. If modern design practice is so extremely user-centred as it seems, should we acknowledge that it wasn’t so before? Isn’t it yet another, clever-sounding marketing catch-phrase? Design is expected to be user-centred from it’s definition, I think. What about graphic designers who pride themselves in using kerning? They are expected to do so… They are even equipped to do that, too.

So what the hell is wrong with us?! If a design object is intended to be ever USED by anyone, then it should be designed with a prospect user in mind, right? So please stop saying that you design with colour and shape. It’s OBVIOUS. Full stop. I write with letters. Cool, huh?

More often than not, better tool gives better results. But it needs to be used wisely, too. 

There is, though, huge progress in design practice, connected with more sophisticated tools we use nowadays. Undoubtedly. And this affects our work, surely. More often than not, better tool gives better results. So we can focus more on a different aspects of a given task, rather than struggling with material (which often leads to great results, by the way). Great. But I’m worried that it predominantly leads to a flood of mediocre, meaningless work, with no real value nor quality.

I can list dozens of cases here. Logotypes which are not logotypes at all. People who try to do professionally looking branding without even learning a thing about the company they work with. Then homegrown masters with little to none knowledge of a profession, for whom layout design highs at stealing some stock imagery and adding Helvetica on. 

Don’t get me wrong. We all learn. We all move forward. But we need to stay true, be ourselves. To raise our own voice. Stefan Sagmeister commented on a storytelling boom once, saying that probably you are not a storyteller. You are a bloody graphic designer. That’s the merit of your job. 

So use that story telling, employ user-centred approach, draw by hand, by foot or with your brush. But do these purposely, and enjoy wildly. Yeah!

I’m sticking with being just ordinary creative, for now. Thanks!