Graphic Design is dying
- Started
- Last post
- 112 Responses
- kona1
Calling what we do "Graphic Design" is probably one of the reasons design is dying.
Stop calling it that. Start calling it "Design Strategy" and people will literally throw their money at you. Last week during a Design Strategy pitch a client gave me a black eye by throwing a currency strap of 10k right at my face. When I woke up I had 3 pairs of panties on my face as well. Win Win.
.png)
- p.s. The only thing that will be dying is you if you don't upvotekona
- Kona is right. And the word "strategy" is scaring all the people who only know how to make z pictures.mg33
- i like the idea of calling it Design strategy, looks more serious in a wayBen99
- it's true, I even invoice our calls and time as "strategy" these daysmonospaced
- That's advertising!robthelad
- or Public Relations...robthelad
- whateverrobthelad
- That's one of the cleverest things i heard someone say in a month.jagara
- Ben990
I'll be curious to see images of exemples you guys find innovative, fresh and new in graphic design. Post 'em up in this thread.
- mg330
By it's very definition, graphic design can't die. Being very literal here, but as long as people are designing graphics, graphic design is alive and well.
I think what you meant to say is that innovative creativity, and unique, eye-catching design is dying TO YOU either because you're seeing less work that blows you away, or you feel like everything you see is largely inspired by something that preceded it, and lacks any sense of uniqueness. The "art" of it, I guess. That largely comes down to the exposure you provide yourself into what's out there. If you only wander grocery store aisles for inspiration, or evidence of great design work, you're probably going to be unsatisfied and left wanting more. But if you actively seek out a wide variety of work in publications, annuals, exhibits, websites, etc. I think you'll find plenty out there that's turning heads and accomplishing the goals someone had for it, whether a personal art project, a client project, or anything else.
- BaskerviIle0
Graphic design isn't dying, it's just evolving. Yes, technology has played a part...computers in general have changed the profession since the 80s. Back then graphic design was a pretty particular set of skills (to quote Liam Neeson), now I think there are more media to design within and you need to have a much more diverse set of skills to do that effectively.
More importantly you need to understand how all the different media we have now are integrated and inter-related so you can think of good ideas that work across the board. I'm a firm believer that designers are primarily employed to have good ideas first, and to carry those ideas our second.
I have a print/typography background, then got into branding and have gradually evolved into a designer who specialises in experience design and innovation in general. Along the way I've picked up skills in web/UI/motion/environmental design amongst other things.
One thing I've observed is that standing still is a surefire way to make yourself obsolete. Move with the times, keep learning, keep being curious, keep having great ideas that work for the times we live in.
If you think of yourself as a pair of hands for hire, you will be replaceable. A good creative brain is less replaceable.
- wow, our design history is very similar, from print/type to experience/environme... heremonospaced
- Where do you work now mono? I've been on here on and off since 2003!BaskerviIle
- in-house at a large corporate joint in NYCmonospaced
- Morning_star9
One thing i've noticed is an increase in frustrated designers whining like bitches.
The reality of the situation is that we are whores...end of story. You do what your trick wants or you don't get paid.
We are not artists.
What we do is subjective.
There is no right answer, whatever Dieter Rams says.
99% of what we do is diluted by the CD or AD or Client or the fucking dog."Oh, but, but you wouldn't tell a surgeon how to do your heart surgery" damn fucking right. If it goes wrong I die.
If the client changes the size of the logo nobody dies.If you don't like the industry, change industries and get a job you do like. Get up every day and want to go to work and while you're there work hard.
- +nb
- I believe that every designer has their own 'right answer', so if you're good enough and wanted enough, it may was well be 'the right answer'.detritus
- What isn't art?********
- totally, my boss reminds me sometimes that "nobody's dying"monospaced
- in advertising its all about being paid off and say whatever the man wants you to say. Junior whore, Senior whore, and Whore Director.********
- "99% of what we do is diluted by the CD or AD or Client or the fucking dog."
That's a pretty sad outlook I have to say.******** - I'm lucky to have *some* clients who generally accept my professional opinion and advice. You're only a whore if you allow yourself to be.********
- It's nice to have a balance and have work you can maintain your creative integrity and passion with********
- and other work you just give whatever nonsense they ask for and take your money. Can't argue with stupid...********
- http://www.qbn.com/r…********
- You wouldnt tell a lawyer how to do his job!!!Hayoth
- Whatever. Everyone whines about their job at some point and by this rationale any profession, not just design, makes you a whore. I bet you're fun in meetings.MrT
- You wouldn't download a car.********
- Chimp0
One thing I noticed is an increase in clients that want a lot more control over the design process than before.
- That's the sound of your soul dying, not of design dying, though.Continuity
- yes, and this is a result of the easy-to-reach design tools and cheap offerings out there with quick turnarounds, it's so annoyingmonospaced
- Client management / education is another important skill you have to learn.Chimp
- tank02-1
A grid on itself is a template... So than you can start blaming Crouwel & Muller-Brockman. Stop complaining and do something about it.
- ********-1
- formed-2
Parts of it are dying. Like all these templates that are "good enough" there seems to be a new "$5 logo" thing popping up on Facebook every month or so.
I've personally seen a lot of marketing types learning more Adobe products and thinking they are "designers".
Quality will always be quality, though. That's one of the largest things I've learned. I thought technology would change a lot, but it really hasn't done much. Web is the only real place I see there being a "new standard of mediocrity".
- For ''normal'' people, graphic design quality is often made in Word and they really like it.Ben99
- The web always had mediocrity - a million terrible flash sites and bad Gifs... look harder or not hard at all - www.siteinspire.net for example.fadein11
- Ben99-3
Hi guise!
when I wrote this thread, it was an on the spot thinking and I wanted to create a discussion, it works! thanks.
I know graphic design is not really dying, but it is in mutation right now. The digital age is changing a lot of stuff around us and it's still unclear where it is going exactly. The music industry is changing, the book and magazines industry is changing, the news media are changing... So is graphic design. None of those are really dying, they're just mutating in something new, and at the moment we're at the end of a chapter and the beginning of another.
- Things change.********
- yeah, like our facesBen99
- All day, every day.
Such is nature********
- Things change.
- monoboy-3
Styling has been commoditised, design hasn't.
- ...because it's about business.monoboy
- Design hasn't been commoditized? I can't think of a single thing that haven't been commoditized in this world (and I'm OK with it).********
- Design is about adding cash value to businesses. You can't commoditise that because it requires unique thought.monoboy
- Are you talking about commodification? In either case design can be (and in my opinion already is) commodified and
commoditized.******** - I saw a commercial for Wix today, and I think you're right, monoboymonospaced
- Just take a look at Behance. Thousands of perfectly crafted homogenous approaches.monoboy
- chukkaphob5
- Stoner Slothtank02
- hehe my thoughts exactlyVectorMasked
- hahah! sums up this thread/topic perfectly.Krassy
- go back to pic of the day Krassy. Drown your brain with funny stuff. ktxbyeBen99
- @Ben99 I might just do that because "Pic of the Day" is a lot more intriguing, inspiring, entertaining and stimulating than this here negativity =)Krassy
- OkBennn
- ********0
- ArchitectofFate0
zzz clickbaiting me with death-related-headlines...
graphic design isn't dying, it's transcending. Everyone with a camera still isn't a photographer, instagram doesn't create art directors, doing 10y of compulsory-school-nativelanguage... doth not a copywriter make.
I blame todays blandness on our twilight zone programmers. They want to call themself interface dudes, experience gurus or hack-anyffin's. Few have understood the following: The ultimate goal of ui/ux/xd designers is to rationalize themself away. So what do you do when everything looks the same, and you're actively working towards being marginalized?
now I must get back to my soulcrushing work
- templates are great btw, when they fail the "real" companies come begging for the good stuff anyway.ArchitectofFate
- Projectile0
Back in my day, to create a static web page you had to do a two year web design course.
Now, I'm able to use my design skills to create something that works nicely, looks good and doesn't look anything like the template I started with.
I yearn not for the "good old days"
- I dunno about that - I think yesteryear's web was a lot simpler than today's...detritus
- ********10
If you think graphic design is dying then I imagine it's because you're being left in the dust and not keeping up. It's not dying but it's certainly changing and heading in new directions, and if you dont change with it then I understand how one might perceive it as dying.
Regardless, it's a small minded and massively over generalised statement so I guess the only thing left to do is gfy
- <- I'm with the smart guyBluejam
- +1********
- ThisBaskerviIle
- Agreed********
- GD 2.0********
- ✅dbloc
