Attitude and Intentions

What first comes to mind when you think of what design means?

“For many people, the word conjures up thoughts of creativity, products, architecture, graphics, or simply the way something looks or functions.”

[From the Design Council]

In other words, it can be viewed as an expression from within, to an outside audience. The process of someone actualizing a spark of creativity into the world – be it in art, digital design, print, 3D or more. This can take various forms and be broken down into various phases or stages. For example, making a new bottle design goes through a rigorous process in creative, technical, and practical elements. Situations can be even more complex, for example, when there is a necessity to combine past set ways with future branding. This occurred with Absolut Vodka when they had to merge a traditional iconic design with upgrading the clear packaging.

Understanding the World

People see the world differently. And the encouragement of the individual to pursue their perspective of the world allows for the production of items of a creative nature. Through a deeper understanding of, as well as, through the trial and error practice with materials that are already familiar to us.

“And in order to create these [every day] materials… we have had to master the complexity of their inner structure. This way of understanding the world is called material science … It is no less significant, no less human, than music, art, film or literature … but it is less well known.”

[Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik March 2014]

There are research organisations open for this purpose, including the Institute of Marketing, stating its mission as, “to provide all makers with a creative home in which to innovate, contemplate and understand all aspects of materials and an inspiring place to explore their relationship to making.” (https://www.instituteofmaking.org.uk/)

Social Significance

Where does this inspiration come from? This creative spark. The thirst to change the status quo. To make our interaction with the world a different experience. The question may be better than any suggested answer.

What we can suppose is that designers understand and appreciate that design has an important social role. This per se means that designers need to be able to relate to those consequences of their creations… The popular trend is to assume that as designers they own the rights of authorship for their work, that the designer is given the power to become a master communicator – a problem solver. However the key to effective communication, whether in verbal or graphical form, is to realise that as such it is a dialogue and not a monologue… There is an exchange of ideas and voices between designers and their respective audience.

Dialogue and Communication

We must therefore understand how messages of communication function – in so much that the readers or viewers also bring their expressions and interpretations to the exchange. This is a somewhat scary realisation for designers. However, this knowledge empowers and places them in a smarter position to undertake the work within their remit. Instances of miscommunication constantly remind us that visual communication is a collaborative process… Keeping in mind that a dialogue is in motion between the two sides will help designers to better achieve intended goals of social interaction and positive impacts.

“The role [is] played by the observer – the beholder – in imaginatively ‘completing’ a work of art. The beholder’s share is that part of perceptual experience that is contributed by the perceiver and which is not to be found in the artwork – or the world – itself.”

A message does not occupy an objective position – a final point. They are completed by the reader, anchored by the specific context and situation in which they were given. All viewers do not approach the same visual representation the same way. Each comes with their own attitudes, mindset and life experiences. All these and more will influence the response that the viewer / reader has to the message.

The responsibility therein of the ‘citizen designer’ (coined by Steven Heller and Véronique Vienne) lies in the potential of response. The ability of understanding the range of possibilities of the viewers’ actions, the implications of their reception and further interpretation, is a new wave of theory being taught to bright new graphic design students.

First Impressions

Every long-term business relationship begins with a first step. And funnels towards the building of trust for both parties. This must start somewhere. It starts with a first impression. Do we always interpret the first impression correctly from this initial meeting? There are many variables that may or may not be obvious at the time. And sometimes it is when we get to know the people better that we find out we have more in common than we first thought. Ultimately resulting in a long-term mutually beneficial relationship.

If you are in the service industry your website is your digital interface to the public. So whilst you are not there in person to interact with the public, they are engaging on a digital level with your business online. First impressions are important here too. In order to portray what you do, what value you bring to the customer, as well as showing your company ethos on the two dimensional landscape.

An added complication for digital designers of websites is that often people will need to come back to a website for various reasons. Perhaps to learn more about what you do, to download available resources, or just to contact you. This means that your website is more than a first impression. It needs to cater for multiple impressions and visits. There is more than one dialogue going on!

In Summary

When we permit ourselves to learn from other geniuses in the creative sphere the magic can infuse us with appreciation and inspiration. For example, there was a particular individual who would present their routine to an audience in an unfamiliar, perhaps shocking way. The purpose of this was to force them to act out in some way, force a response – whether they liked it or not. This was the modus operandi of comedian Andy Kaufman with his routines on stage and TV. A prime demonstration of knowing that there was a dialogue between artist and beholder.