When we meet someone, one of the first questions we might ask (or be asked) is: “what do you do?” It’s a great conversation-piece.
Some answer modestly, “Oh, I’m just a tax accountant.” Others will talk, as long as you’re willing to listen, about what they do and how they do it.
It seems easier to answer this question if your work has a clear designation. Doctor, tailor, administrative assistant—these all conjure up an immediate “Aha.” We all know someone who works in these fields. It’s tangible.
To answer this question with, “I’m a graphic designer” usually gets the following responses:
“Oh, how cool! That sounds like such fun!”
“Huh. That’s interesting…”
Or this, the hardest question to clearly answer: “So what is it you actually do?”
Movies, TV shows and other popular media make out creative work to be play with pay. I cringe every time I see a writer just open his computer and start tip-tapping some prose masterpiece, as if it’s flowing from his fingertips of its own accord. Ditto for scenes of someone instantly throwing together a poster, or some other complex image, as if it were child’s play: if it were that easy, I’d be out of a job!
A lot of thinking, observation and instinct go into design work. Sure, there are days when all the pieces seem to fall into place. We all have those, thank goodness. They balance out the days when every idea is a struggle, and nothing comes out right.
A graphic designer is part artist, part organizer. We take a group of visual and verbal elements and put them together in a way that makes sense and communicates.
It’s no wonder that many good designers are also great networkers. We see the connections in life, and we share an urge to bring them together—whether in-person or in print.
It takes an artist’s eye to understand how the pieces fit into a satisfying whole. But it also requires a keen sense of analysis. In every design piece you see—billboards, magazine ads, and packaging—there are 1,000,000 wrong ways to do the job, and one right way.
Designers live and die by that one right solution. In this way, we’re like detectives. We’re given all the clues by the client. They supply us with copy, images, logos, and with an idea (sometimes vaguely formed) of what they want it to look like. We take those “clues” and assemble them in a way that solves the mystery. By solving that mystery, we bring the message of the piece front and center, where it can be immediately grasped by the world at large.
Well, on a good day, that’s what we do. Some design jobs can seem like police “cold cases.” We search and search for the solution. We apply our skills of observation: what needs to come across in this piece?
What does the client want the world to know about themselves or their product? Who is this product for? Why should it appeal to them?
We also pay attention to what the client’s media has said before. Do they want more of the same? Are they looking for a little twist on their successful formula? We tend to ask a lot of questions. That’s one way we can cut down the trial-and-error part of the process, and get closer to the client’s needs sooner.
We look at the data given to us, we listen to the client’s ideas, we study their recent media work, observe possible patterns and suggestions, and eventually we coalesce these elements into a design that works. Or, more often, into a first draft that shows the way to the final solution.
We also rely on instinct. We have developed this instinct throughout our life. It’s what draws most of us to the design world. We’ve seen and studied art, photographs, films, and the colors and patterns of nature and the world around us. In the course of our lives, we’ve developed a sense of what works and what doesn’t.
In many cases, we work within a format that’s already set up. This lessens the need for instinct. Still, we know what works and what doesn’t. If we’re firing on all burners, we understand what the client is looking for—based on their past media material and on what they’ve told us about the project.
It’s all about communication—networking, listening, observing, analyzing and thinking. This is why we always seem to have a million questions—sometimes about the smallest details of a project. We want to help the client get their message across, loud and clear, in a way that anyone can grasp.
This is what a designer does. Whew—I’ve finally got my “elevator speech!” Now I can answer that question better—and so can you.
-James Gill, Graphic Designer
Vibrant Marketing Solutions
http://www.vibrant-marketing.com/
