Ownership of Design
I was recently involved in a logo identity project that I happily jumped into. It was all dandy but unfortunately the project was suddenly shelved. Apparently the clients had to reminiscent with design nostalgia – they loved their old logo a little too much. I was a little disappointed, but continued working on the project. I had invested quite a deal of my creative energy and I felt that it would be a waste to just shelve the efforts. Of course it would be delightful if my designs were used, but I digress. Without a client to answer to, it felt that I was creating art. I was responsible for all aspect of the project, from the ideas to the production. It felt like I owned the design.
The idea of designer owning design is rather absurd. While the designer creates the product, the idea and the message belongs to the client he is working for. Even the designed product eventually belongs to the client. The client being the owner of the design is ultimately responsible how she uses it. After the production phase, the designer usually has no longer influence or control over the design.
While leaving that sad little fact as it may, never had I met a graphic designer who truly believes that he never owns the design. The reason we become graphic designers is the appeal of creating a mark that we can call our own. It doesn’t matter if that mark is the identity for a major brand or if it’s a small little price tag for designer pots. Graphic designers created the look and feel of that mark, and hence own it.
Some would argue that to own design, is having control and responsibility over both the medium and the message. While designers have influence over the medium, rarely do the designers have any say in the message. As designers, it seems that our role are to be the conveyer of other people’s ideas and intentions. While that doesn’t sound too be bad, and make us at least the owner of the medium of how the message is communicated, it becomes increasingly difficult when the client too seem to own and have influence over the medium.
In an ideal world, graphic designers would work with bold and visionary clients who would challenge the designer creatively and give him the freedom to create. The client would not ask the graphic designer to make disastrous changes like making the headline bigger, more colorful and like shiny chrome.
But unfortunately it is not an ideal world. While designer seldom questions the message that he has to work with, the client usually never hesitates to give her opinion on design choices, no matter how absurd it sounds. The designer would often be deflated when the client questions his font sizes and color choices. The demand for petty changes is often harder to swallow than outright rejection. Such demand for changes hit us where it hurts the most – our frail sense of design ownership.
Ultimately design ownership is matter of perspective. Designers must understand that we are hired help. Clients have their concern, and such concern should be addressed. Clients on the other hand, should understand that she hired a Graphic Designer. An expert in his field, and seldom will he implement design solutions without reason. He is not an implementer of the client’s design whims. He is a Graphic Designer, not a Graphic Waiteress.*
*This is a quote by a rather famous designer whose name I seem to have forgotten. Ooops...
Technorati Tags: Graphic Design, Design, Culture, Business
The idea of designer owning design is rather absurd. While the designer creates the product, the idea and the message belongs to the client he is working for. Even the designed product eventually belongs to the client. The client being the owner of the design is ultimately responsible how she uses it. After the production phase, the designer usually has no longer influence or control over the design.
While leaving that sad little fact as it may, never had I met a graphic designer who truly believes that he never owns the design. The reason we become graphic designers is the appeal of creating a mark that we can call our own. It doesn’t matter if that mark is the identity for a major brand or if it’s a small little price tag for designer pots. Graphic designers created the look and feel of that mark, and hence own it.
Some would argue that to own design, is having control and responsibility over both the medium and the message. While designers have influence over the medium, rarely do the designers have any say in the message. As designers, it seems that our role are to be the conveyer of other people’s ideas and intentions. While that doesn’t sound too be bad, and make us at least the owner of the medium of how the message is communicated, it becomes increasingly difficult when the client too seem to own and have influence over the medium.
In an ideal world, graphic designers would work with bold and visionary clients who would challenge the designer creatively and give him the freedom to create. The client would not ask the graphic designer to make disastrous changes like making the headline bigger, more colorful and like shiny chrome.
But unfortunately it is not an ideal world. While designer seldom questions the message that he has to work with, the client usually never hesitates to give her opinion on design choices, no matter how absurd it sounds. The designer would often be deflated when the client questions his font sizes and color choices. The demand for petty changes is often harder to swallow than outright rejection. Such demand for changes hit us where it hurts the most – our frail sense of design ownership.
Ultimately design ownership is matter of perspective. Designers must understand that we are hired help. Clients have their concern, and such concern should be addressed. Clients on the other hand, should understand that she hired a Graphic Designer. An expert in his field, and seldom will he implement design solutions without reason. He is not an implementer of the client’s design whims. He is a Graphic Designer, not a Graphic Waiteress.*
*This is a quote by a rather famous designer whose name I seem to have forgotten. Ooops...
Technorati Tags: Graphic Design, Design, Culture, Business
posted by Sudirwan @ 1:05 PM
1 Comments:
At 6:48 PM,
avalon said…
I think design is like engineering. Only when your design becomes a brand, easily recognisable, then only has the designer owned his design.
Think about architects like Antonio Gaudi (if he be considered one), Norman Foster, designers like Philip Starck etc. Their work has the immediate reaction of, 'Hey that's a Starck', like how we would say, 'Oh that is so Warhol.'
Anyway. Have fun with the logos! I love logos.
Post a Comment
<< Home