Like the Sirens’ song in The Odyssey, the web is full of temptations and distractions that threaten to lead designers and creatives astray. But rather than the risk of shipwreck, the danger lies in producing unoriginal, uninspired content that undermines the basic premise of design—that is, to communicate in an effective, innovative and aesthetically stimulating way and to illuminate new truths or provoke new ideas.
Is Design a Dying Art?
With the proliferation of content on the web, some see the state of design as regressing rather than progressing. Take for instance a recent article on Smashing Magazine: The Dying Art of Design. In the article, UX Designer and writer Francisco Inchauste discusses how “modern design tools and processes do more harm than good” when the tools themselves begin to replace the fundamental understanding of why a design solution is used or what fundamental problem is being addressed.
In the article, several problems are brought to light, including:
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A tendency to consume shallow content such as inspirational lists, tutorials and freebies rather than in-depth content. According to a poll conducted by Smashing Magazine, “Over 75% of the articles that designers read are either design tutorials or inspirational lists.”
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The positioning of how-to articles as “design tutorials” when really they are “tool tutorials” that teach only a singular aspect, leading designers to use a technique without necessarily understanding why it’s appropriate for a project.
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The growing use of cheap or free content, resulting in a lack of originality that begins to commoditize design and potentially lessen its value in the eyes of clients.
As the writer of the article sees it, the threat posed by these trends will potentially undermine design as an art and craft: “. . . designers will never be considered people who can solve problems for businesses and their customers and who can effectively communicate ideas. We will simply be a mindless pair of hands that knows how to apply some trendy colors and glossy effects to make things look nice. A technique with no purpose makes a design irrelevant. If design becomes irrelevant, then at some point we may be, too.”
Cultivating Strong Design Habits
Francisco, however, does offer some ideas and reminders of how to keep the design profession thriving and continue improving as an individual designer. He suggests:
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Creating your own assets, such as textures and graphics, rather than looking for fast and free ones that may be lesser in quality or lacking in originality.
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“Digging deep” in a book instead of clicking away on the web for shortcuts or quick tips.
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Devoting the time and money to attend a conference or event.
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Looking at tools and tutorials as “a means to good design, not the end.”
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Returning to sketching to flesh out a concept.
In addition to Francisco’s poignant reminders in the article, here are some additional ideas on how to continue fostering strong design habits:
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Step away from the computer and find inspiration in the real world.
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Join a local meet-up group where you can discuss ideas, projects and challenges with other professionals.
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Think back to why you wanted to become a designer and consider how you can continue to meet that goal every day.
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Go back to the basics. Don’t get immediately swept up by every trend and fad.
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Take the time to appreciate great design—whether it’s in a gallery, a book, in street art or on the web—and reflect on what makes it powerful.
Leveraging the Web to Strengthen Design
The web doesn’t have to be a threat to good design and original thinking, and design certainly doesn’t have to succumb to a death sentence as an art form. When used in the right context, online tools and content can serve to augment design thinking and provide a platform for elevating the standards rather than lowering them.
Francisco Inchauste ends his article with a relevant piece of advice: “We determine the type of information made available to us. Every click (and tweet) can be a vote for a better and smarter design community. Please choose wisely.”