Everyone designs
Whether you want them to or not…
Long before the Mac introduced us to the idea of desktop publishing, everyone has designing. Whether it was picking out shelf liners or writing a business plan, or deciding which field to plow and which one to pasture. Everything we have ever made, created or arranged has been an act of design. Everyone designs everyday. It’s just most of us don’t design for other people at scale—the vast majority of whom we will never meet and will only experience what our creation can convey on its own.
When I read one of the hundreds of articles lamenting how our profession is devalued because everyone thinks they are a designer, I can’t help but immediately go to these authors’ LinkedIn profiles. Let me be clear: I am not a degree snob, I do this to check a hypothesis. In my experience the majority of these authors have degrees in anthropology, history, aeronautical engineering, journalism, physics, biochemistry, economics, etc—if they have a degree at all. And since design is not genetic, that means at some point these folks woke up one day and decided they were going to be a designer.
Whether they learned on the job, through bootcamps, or reading a couple books, the point is these self-proclaimed designers decided one day they were qualified to call themselves a Designer—with a capital D, and they never looked back. They started designing for all those thousands of people they will never meet. They weren’t just designing their home offices, these people started designing all the services, mobile apps, and social media we spend our lives using. And yet, when someone else tries to follow in their footsteps they have a tantrum. An absolute melt-down.
As someone who does have a degree in design, I find it rather hypocritical that these pundits are now feeling invalidated? threatened? marginalized? by this new wave of DIY designers. What makes it even more ironic is that these self-appointed designers have none of the context researched and validated over the last 100 years by Industrial Design. Their lack of knowledge makes them dismissive when someone tries to explain science behind design. It always reminds me of the Neil DeGrasse Tyson quote: “The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it”.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already designing. If you’re serious take the time to learn how to actually design—which cannot be done in a couple 6 week bootcamps. Today there is more material available than ever to help you develop your design skills, but that alone will not give you the depth of knowledge, the theory, and the science behind design. To do that you will likely need to enroll in an actual design program—I can already hear the collective groan. But at the very least find a mentor, ask for help. You will need a help separating the good from the bad. Become an apprentice. Or better yet, get a degree. And be a designer.
As always, please feel free to share your thoughts.
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