Are U ever too old?
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- legspin
My designer friend reckons that when designers get to a certain age they loose their edge and as a result are not as good as the up and coming younger designers. In a sense they become 'stale' maybe.
Does anyone agree and if so when does this happen???
I'm starting to think of alternative careers right now. Maybe I should have had a plan B before now.
- neeko0
i think it does happen, but not necessarily to everyone.
When design becomes a 9-5 that you dont want to think about in your free time, youre bound to lose your edge, particularly on the web with the frequent advances in technology. Guess it happens more frequently as you get older...
- petzi0
this is not a question of age.
this is a question of
- cajo0
I do think that happens!! Its happening with me!! :)
- petzi0
...attitude of mind
- unknown0
Neville Brody can't be that young...
I would say david carson too, but he seems to have gone down the tubes
- mrming0
That is ridiculous. Very few designers manage to produce high quality work at a young age. You are learning every day. If you are committed to being a designer then every piece you produce should aim to be an improvement on your last. If I'm a good designer in ten years time I will be happy.
- petzi0
i never learned something from a youngshot. even if they call him 'talented'
- MobyGrape0
A good parallel might be musicians. Many stagnate after the first burst of youthful creativty-- others get more and more inventive as they get older.
- mrming0
Nice site MobyGrape!
- MobyGrape0
thank you, Mr. Ming. You, too.
- unknown0
You probably stop trying to be fashionable. And look back on all that bad early work!
- unknown0
How did Carson (or the publisher) get away with publishing the same book twice, but with a different cover the second time (says a lot!)
- reluct0
Yes I agree. Old farts are bad designers and young designers lack the experience to make a half decent design.
The generation thing is natural and good for design in general. Constantly challenging each other is like Darwin's natural selection. Let the "new generation" take over, but make sure it's an improvement :)
- mbr0
It all depends on the state of mind and priorities of the individual. When you are young, you have less worries and prioritize being 'great' and work to do something 'new'. You challenge your self to learn and become better (or, at least the amibitious ones do). When you get olde, have a family, house, etc., you care more about those than learning the latest version of some software or working at night on personal stuff. It just changes. But it's still possible to continue to learn, just more difficult when you have more on the table.
A good comparision is architecture. Rarely does an architect become 'great' before they hit 50. That's fairly young for a career as an architect. There are many more obstacles to overcome when making buildings (politics, budgets, economic conditions, community groups, etc.) that it takes a long time to learn and a long time to find clients that are willing to pay for your design.
But there are those that make it a point to keep learning. The best will always continue learning and striving to be better, in any field.
It's all up to you.
- J_Treehorn0
Style-monkey's never last in the design field for more than 5 years. As far as older designers not being relevant, the reality is that some retreat to Academia, some private practice and some run companies and advance on to other jobs. But I would argue that the designers that remain in the hands-on practive of design have just as much impact and influence on visual culture as any pseudo-movement that occurs online by coffee-table-book rip-off artists.
- Colin0
I think eveyone goes through periods where they feel they've lost it. When your younger it's easier to bounce back and move forward. I'm guessing when i'm 50 i just won't have the stamina to maintain a high creative level. It takes work to stay creative, especially when it's so easy to just sit back and waste away infront of the television.
- ********0
you lose your edge no matter what you do. It's all relative, at least 99% of humans seem to.
- Mick0
There are lots of other threads about this. I think generally it's just a life thing... lots of people lose their mojo for their careers when they hit 35+
I think it's a case of "more to life than work".
- vespa0
Design seems different because it's often thought to be style-driven, which is very youth oriented. I don't agree with this take, I think ideas and creative thinking only get better as you get older, so I guess it depends on your understanding of what design is.
Also as you start to get a set of solutions that you know "work" the temptation is to do what is easy and churn stuff out, which gets boring and you may risk losing your passion.
Seems like the way of going up the career chain is to become a Creative Director, but then who wants to spend all day in meetings and never making anything?
I think as long as you keep your eyes open you will never lose your mojo.