As a mid-level graphic designer and budding web developer, I’ve found myself faced with this question a lot of times. Many times, it results in a war within me or with a client.
I’d start with my inner war. I grew up learning that the more complicated a drawing was, the higher the probability of it being the work of pure genius. Like As a mid-level graphic designer and budding web developer, I’ve found myself faced with this question a lot of times. Many times, it results in a war within me or with a client.
Like if I was in a fine arts class and the tutor told us to freestyle, the person who drew a human being was a better artist than the guy who drew a table (usually, that was me). It made me always strive to out do myself and come up with ‘better’ drawings or designs. Don’t know what happened, but till this day, in spite of all the ‘hard work’, I can barely come with a sketch of even the simplest face. Now that’s a problem right? Is something wrong with me? Even though I can come up with the neatest technical designs and show the slightest detail in a drawing of a table (obviously my favourite), would I ever be regarded as an artist to look out for?
The client is another champion warrior. Obviously not aware of my inner battles, he wants up with a print design that would stand out. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem except that my friend’s definition of ‘stand out’ gets even the devil raging. Why does he have to compare my work to that of the other guy? Hasn’t he heard that we all have different styles and inspirations? Same goes for sweet model who needs a website, so interested in it being ‘fine’, she’s obviously given to my lectures about people being able to easily navigate her site. What do I have to do to show these people that beauty doesn’t have to be complex and that their talk isn’t good for my self-confidence?
Guess what? All I’ve got to do is me. In both of these battles, the real me wins! The one who puts aside his fears and delves into the waters called simple and beautiful. The one who realises that even though the client is always right, the client also deserves my best. Yes, my best. And that can only come from me being me and not bothering about what’s politically correct or socially acceptable. In fact, as I look at the expressions on their faces when the project is complete, I realise that being me is also the best for them, it’s what keeps them coming back, and what makes me stand out from the crowd.
As designers, we should realise that being us is the best that we can give to the world around us. Our contributions to the universe, should contain that element of us, that can be seen and recognised only in our works.
Demymor 