Do not express yourself!

One of my more memorable job interviews was held in a rather posh hotel restaurant. It was for a Graphic Designer position in a Magazine. The interviewer who was the principal founder and editor of the magazine, was dressed rather casually. Jeans, shirt and a business jacket. He looks the very the bit of what I imagined someone in the editorial industry would look like. I approached him, gave him a firm hand shake and suavely landed onto my sit. I did everything that needs to be done to give the great first impression.

As he was browsing through my portfolio, occasionally giving me the nod of approval, he suddenly shoots a question that even after days of reading interview tips, I were apparently still not ready for. "Your designs all looks varied and polish. You might just be a good designer, but where is the you in these designs? It looks as if, all the pieces were done by different designers."

My brains shuts down. My mouth opens, but no intelligible sounds came out. I was dumbfounded. Shocked. After what seems like forever, I finally answered, albeit with much silliness and naivety.

"I don't think graphic designers should leave marks of their personality in their design." I didn't explain further.

After that shocking reply to the equally shocking question, the interview went downhill, and to cut it short, there was no way that I would be working for this magazine. I went home, sadly and without a job.

Months past, and I was still thinking about that fateful interview. I was on the treadmill, trying to run off the fats of the weekends when I suddenly hit upon an epiphany. Should designers, graphic designers in particular, express themselves in works for clients? It's particularly pertinent for graphic designers to ask themselves this question because in other design fields, self expression is a commendable quality. You would know a Philip Stark work, even though his design works are varied, ranging from shoes to calculators.

In other fields of design, the consumers or audience of the design wants to experience or be associated with the designer. In fashion design, industrial design, interior design etc, the designer is the celebrity. However in graphic design, the consumer just wants to experience the design itself. In fact, sometimes a graphic designer has to make the design transparent, and in effect, makes himself transparent, so the consumer can get to the point clearly and correctly.

Then we have to ask ourselves the most fundamental of questions. Why do we need graphic design? To me, graphic design allows the idea to be delivered in the most elegant and clearest fashion. Self expression in graphic design can only be allowed if it helps in this delivery. Adding noise of self expression to graphic design fails the design. Graphic design then fails its purpose.

And that ladies and gentlemen, was what I should have said during that damn interview.

Technorati Tags: graphic design, ideas, art

The Practice of Naming

Quite a few moons ago, Kristen and I, were dreaming during our many free times together, about a design firm we would start together. We would of course start out from our rooms, then we would grow into something so big, people would compare as to Pentagram and Landor. And like many designers and creative types, we gave the firm a 'creative' name. 12x40. Twelve by Forty. Twelve times Forty. 12[Forty] Why? No reason of course. That adds to the allure sexy creativeness we thought. And it doesn't hurt that Twelve by Forty has a nice modernist ring to it.

In a world of people trying to be different and radical, it's forgivable perhaps that we have design and creative firms with names like Ffurious and 10AM. And both said companies, happen to be successful Singaporean firms.

To most start-up entrepreneurs, choosing a name for their companies is probably one of the more enjoyable and personal pursuits. Unlike thinking of a marketing plan and setting sales goals, naming is an instantaneous and significant decision that seems easy. Naming is also a symbolic decision that reaffirms who's boss, since only principal partners and owners are usually allowed to participate in naming. And names – wisely – are usually permanent. Naming is important, yet usually not much thought is put into it when practicing naming.

And perhaps because of this, we have design/branding firms, offering naming services. Heck, even naming specialist consultancy have arisen. The science of naming, is no longer a personal choice of what you want to appear on your business card but now part of a bigger identity and branding solution.

A hundred monkeys, a naming consultancy state that naming is marketing and strategy, and a boring name means an almost certain early death. With a name like A Hundred Monkeys, it would be hard not to take them seriously.

Yet with all this naming business, there is a risk that other real business issues are cast aside. Naming, like branding and identity design are important to businesses but they are not magical pills of success. The success of a name is tied to the success of the business, and perhaps no surprise here, just like the success of a design. All a good name, just like a good brand or design could deliver – and I'm misquoting Paul Rand here – is recognition and a promise of meaning. A promise that can only be fulfilled over time. That is something everyone who engages in the practice of naming should understand, either they be designers or naming consultants.

Technorati Tags: branding, naming, design, business