An Open Letter From the Public to Designers
We now know about your great successes. Selling us a billion iPods, getting that controversial ad approved for the Super Bowl (it made me laugh-out-loud), and I think of you every 27 seconds, when my RDLBA (Recommended Daily Level of Brand Awareness) gets frighteningly low.
But where were you when I pulled the door handle, only to find (after a slight back strain) that the door needed a push?
And where were you last fall when I followed instructions on my new end table, only to mistake the long screw for the medium screw-drilling right through the table top.
Oh what about the three dozen times I’ve filled out a form only to discover that the line I just put my name on, was actually intended for my address?
And what about that ballot I filled out a few years ago that had my head spinning so badly I voted for Yosemite Sam.
I could continue. There’s the tax forms, insurance forms, my personal banking website, the directions on my prescription, and countless switches and buttons that make no sense on my remote(s).
Maybe I only notice when you’re absent, but the point is, all I ever hear you talking about are the commercials, campaigns and annual reports, that to be honest, seem to be in another language. Maybe it’s my fault that I find them confusing, in poor taste, or unreadable. Maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough. Maybe that’s why I can’t figure out my remote, the door handle, my insurance form or the ballot? Is it just my fault?
And beyond that, why is it when you’re not involved in branding the crap out of my daily interactions, your interests only include projects that are either subversive, budgetless, or allow you to use the word F@#K? Where are the designers that care about daily life and reality?
I don’t think I even know what kind of impact you are or could be making in my life, because all I hear you designers talk about are the new logos that have been created (that I can’t even tell the difference between).
Where are the stories of your success? I mean real success, that doesn’t just feed my addiction to consumption. Success that I can understand, like reduced errors on forms, increased efficiency of support websites, educational curriculum that increases student understanding.
When will we, as a general public, begin to hear a steady diet of these stories? When will you begin to highlight these types of case studies? When will we become aware of the need for better design BEFORE the ballot, product manual, or button is made?
I know, you’ll never be able to solve all these issues. And you might blame the corporate moneychangers that have no vision for design-squeezing every dollar out of the consumer.
Either way, I’m tired of thinking that all this miscommunication is due to my failure, my lack of sophistication. And part of me feels pretty certain that it’s partially your fault. For spending all your time and energy trying to sell me the next revolutionary consumer product (oh and not wasting any of your time on the instructions) rather than marketing your own expertise and knowledge to a world that needs it.
I’m pretty certain design is relevant to my everyday experience, I’m just not sure that you designers share that belief.
Regards,
Your Public
February 21st, 2006 at 11:19 pm
I used to be embarassed when I pulled on a door handle that was meant to be pushed. Then I realized that it wasn’t my fault. Handles are DESIGNED to be pulled. Now I take pleasure in thinking about how big of an idiot the person who designed the door must be. (Bennett, didn’t we have this discussion once? I think you knew the name of that kind of door?)
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:32 am
This article reminds me of one issue: monney. Last year in my country, we had something called “denomination” which means that we cut some zeros from the nominal value of the money: the one million bill became 100, 500,000 became 50 and so on. The National Bank of Romania issued the new banknotes with new design and of course with new values printed on. And also issued a new highest value bill of 500RON (aprox 170$). The problem is that this 500 RON bill resembles so much with the 50 RON that every time I get a 500 it seems to me that I get a 50 and someone tried to fool me. I think this is also a problem of design.
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:34 am
But where were you when I pulled the door handle, only to find (after a slight back strain) that the door needed a push?
Where was I? When there was only one set of footprints, I was carrying you, my son.
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:58 am
Very nice.
I get really frustrated when it seems like so many people equate design with advertising, and that is the only career path for a designer.
Some of us have zero interest in advertising, but still love design–and are successful in what we do.
February 22nd, 2006 at 7:47 am
Speaking as a designer, it’s nice to hear this. I work on the bottom rung of in-house design: catalogs, production work, junk mail, etc. My work will never see a design annual or publication or award ceremony. I do my best with what I’m given. Unfortunately, the job of “designing” a form or any other frequently-used piece of paper often falls to the receptionist. In my office, it is considered not worth the designers’ time to take on such a task. Pity, because I LIKE making things work well. It’s why I do what I do–a chance to improve the workings of life around me. It’s a shame, but education of management takes too long for our deadline-oriented workflow. Speaking as a designer, I apologize for any times you’ve pulled instead of pushed. I wish I had the chance to fix it.
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:51 am
Rebecca C… Thanks for your honesty but I think that is exactly what the article is trying to say… why is it that a form is not important in the design world? Why would information design be left to the receptionist? Why aren’t designers working to change that perception? The design of ordinary things is just as important as an annual report or a brochure because it will have an enormous effect on the public (e.g., door handles, forms, etc.). I do understand your dilemma… you are just trying to make a living… but it is something to ponder
February 22nd, 2006 at 1:05 pm
After reading this article, I went to the store and tried on clothes. When I left the dressing room, I tried to pull on the door handle. “DOH!”
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:02 pm
The door handle really hits a cord, doesn’t it? Adrian, After reading The Design Of Everyday Things, many people refer to them as Norman Doors.
While I was watching the Martha Stewart’s (Queen of Design) Apprentice something really made me chuckle. The Martha Stewart folks are supposed to think about everything, but the push door into the boardroom had a handle on it. I saw a couple people pull that door and then realize they had to push. I was surprised they didn’t edit that out.
This entire argument is so hard to tackle. Obviously Clint doesn’t just want us to all exclusively design forms and ballots. Although, I know some people out there would enjoy this, but I would go insane. It is a good reminder to give balanced attention to the not-so-enticing areas of design. Obviously we want to use good design for branding and advertising. i.e. The billboards and TV spots will always be there, so we should make them as beautiful and well designed as we can. But, what can we do to promote design for everyday life?
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:01 pm
JWR, you’re right. I’m NOT commenting on the public’s inability to recognize the need for design. Or how wrong it is to be a commercially oriented designer. I’m questioning how our profession can expand the understanding, definition and awareness of design among the general public. Individually, how do we as designers present our profession better.
Why don’t we market our own field in a way that the public actually is unsatisfied with poorly designed signs, forms, ballots, doorhandles, etc.? Right now, I don’t think they think those things are a design problem… the majority just think they aren’t smart enough (Norman calls this “helplessness”).
We have a much more viable, valuable product to sell than Hershey’s portable pudding, but the public has little knowledge of this.
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Clinton, I think you’re absolutely right. General people could care less how most things are designed (unless they’re buying it). And they think they’re just not smart enough to figure out the poorly designed examples. I never looked at it like that before.
So, does this mean that I’m not the only person that walks through Auotmatic Caution Doors (like at a grocery store or 7-11) instead of CAUTION–Automatic Doors !?!
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Here is a picture of the Automatic Caution Door I was referring to. Can you believe that when I Googled that term, I actually found signs for sale by that name? It just doesn’t make sense to me. In order for me not to read it top to bottom, the surrounding text needs to be a lot smaller than the middle text. Anyhow, back to the deep thoughts more related to this post . . .
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Kyle, I think people DO care about good design in things that they encounter on a daily basis. They get frustrated by poorly designed forms, instructions, etc.. And I don’t think people are dumb. I think WE might be the dumb ones. The general public has no idea that design could make their life easier. Just like they had no idea how their life could be changed by flight. I wouldn’t call people dumb for not knowing anything about aeronautics. I’d call the field of aeronautics dumb if they hadn’t told people about flight… making it accessible to the general public over the course of a few decades.
So as Bennett asks, what can we do about it?
February 23rd, 2006 at 7:35 am
Blame the client!
OK, now that I’ve gotten that out with a straight face… How much responsibility can a designer take when they are doing a job to get paid? We are not artists nor teachers; or at least, we are Michelangelo–painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling on commission. The client may not always be right, but as long as they’re writing the checks I sure can’t tell them that. The most I can do is fire them, explain why, and hope other designers do the same thing until they learn. Client Education doesn’t work as often as the Design Celebrities would leave you to believe.
Why aren’t designers working to change that perception? It’s too dang hard. People with the $ like to be the people in control. And they out number us. I’m not saying don’t try; just be prepared to fight. We’ll undoubtably be repeating this discussion for many moons.
I wouldn’t call people dumb for not knowing anything about aeronautics.
Neither would I. I would call the designers who tout “brand,” “style,” “paradigm,” above practicality, “dumb.” Sometimes a business card is just a business card. Do your best, get it done, move on.
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:33 pm
Clinton, I don’t think Kyle was saying that he thinks people are stupid. I think he was saying that they just think that they are stupid . . . “And they think they’re just not smart enough to figure out the poorly designed examples.”
February 23rd, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Rebecca, too hard?. It hasn’t been too hard for design to convince plenty of corporations, advertising executives, and business owners of the value of design. Maybe they like to be in control, but what they like more is to make more money. And we’ve shown how good design (along with good marketing and placement) can lead to more money.
Do we believe that good design can make companies more money through reducing error, product failure, maybe even litigation? Or do we really, deep down, question if design really matters?
Maybe we don’t believe enough in our product to sell it as valuable and relevant?
February 23rd, 2006 at 8:42 pm
I wanted to give an example of someone I believe has exemplified the power of design, and made great way in impacting society. There are several good examples of people having this kind of impact, but we never hear about them.
So here’s my example:
David Sless, is the director of the Communication Research Institute of Australia. The research institute has worked with clients from the financial, health and medical, educational, and government sectors throughout the world. The institute has built membership through showing the impact of design on things such as telephone bills, labeling of medicines, timetables and insurance forms. These case studies often speak the corporate language…money, efficiency, etc..
Sless’ knowledge and commitment to “performance-based” information design have opened doors that were previously unseen by both designers and clients.
If you’d like to see more of CRI’s methods, writings, or case studies, check out their website. It’s well worth your time.
Any other good examples out there?
February 23rd, 2006 at 9:15 pm
I still maintain that if you walk into a client’s office with your poop in a pile and start your relationship off as just that-a relationship-then there’s nothing you can’t do with a client. That first meeting is extremely important and sets the tone for everything that follows. If it becomes a ‘control’ situation, like Rebecca says, then you’re dead in the water. You are a vending machine of design. If you begin as a partner and they value you as a partner, not just a finish artist to their ideas, then great things are possible.
February 23rd, 2006 at 10:22 pm
Clint, I agreed with you to a point, but you are starting to get into an area that I can’t follow. If you really believe that the design profession is “dumb” because you have a laundry list of bad design, I can’t help but be offended. I think the majority of designers fight passionately on a daily basis for good design. I don’t think the problem is a collective apathy or a thirst for money as you imply. The simple truth is that good design is hard. It is hard for designers, and it is hard for our clients. It isn’t fair to blame the graphic design industry for people who don’t recognize the value of design. There isn’t a designer alive that isn’t upset by a “Norman” door or a confusing form. It also isn’t fair to put people like David Sless on a pedestal above the rest of us designers who work in the trenches. That is where the real war is going to be won, and most of don’t expect recognition for our work.
Looking back at my earlier statement, I shouldn’t have blamed the designer of a “Norman” door. The design of the door is flawless, it is just that the door is being used wrong. If we really want to blame someone, we should point the finger at the person who installed/ordered/planned the door. It isn’t the designer of the door’s fault.
February 24th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Good point Nate. It doesn’t take long to find designers that view the client as “adversary”. I fall into that boat at times. And it really doesn’t help things. And probably, if the client sees me as only a vending machine, it’s my fault.
Adrian, I’m not sure how sharing an example, is putting someone on a pedestal. CRI is an example of a unique business model, and commitment to research that benefits all design. Read a few of CRI’s articles and case studies. There’s lots of things we can learn from designers that are doing things differently… even if you’re not interested in becoming an information designer. Obviously, we shouldn’t all become an information designer, book designer or commercial designer.
And, I’m not sure the “war” (if there is one) is won in the “trenches”.
February 24th, 2006 at 9:10 am
Maybe we don’t believe enough in our product to sell it as valuable and relevant? Of course I believe. Otherwise, I’d be doing something else like selling lightbulbs for a living. I’m sorry if I came across as completely burned out on this. I am tired of explaining to clients why we should redesign a form (read: make something small better for many people) when I’m not trusted to work on something with a higher exposure (read: client wants control over a pretty project.) Everything is either too little for my attention or too big for my opinions. Am I a software monkey or a designer? Make up your mind.
I think the majority of designers fight passionately on a daily basis for good design. Yes, yes, yes. And, sometimes, I get tired of fighting. Yes, it is an important thing. It is not the Important Thing that so many designers make it out to be. These issues of control / us vs. them / MakeTheWorldBetter vs. It’sJustABrochure may boil down to the difference between in-house and agency designers. Yes, no, maybe?
February 24th, 2006 at 9:45 am
clinton and nate, i wholeheartedly agree with you!
but we shouldn’t stop fighting for good design. there is nothing like a well designed form!
i think that we need the re-education. i think that we need to learn how to communicate better with clients. some kind of reverse psychology, maybe… clients can be difficult but i think that we need to learn how to pose a change or design idea to them without offending them or making them feel like designers are superior. i think that is the unfortunate turn the designer vs. client struggle takes more often than not…
February 24th, 2006 at 9:55 am
“I’m not sure how sharing an example, is putting someone on a pedestal.”
It just seems like you are putting down the average designer because we aren’t working on projects like CRI. Do we really have to be redesigning ballots or medical forms to make a difference in the world? By “the trenches” I mean the everyday work that the majority of designers do. Good design applied to even the most unimportant product DOES make the world a better place. That is why I take offense to statements like yours or the First Things First Manifesto that look down on designers who “apply their skill and imagination to sell dog biscuits, designer coffee, diamonds, detergents, hair gel, cigarettes, credit cards, sneakers, butt toners, light beer and heavy-duty recreational vehicles.” (quoted from First Things First) The answer isn’t to turn our backs on these seemingly trivial things. The answer is to embrace them and continue to change the world one little thing at a time.
February 24th, 2006 at 10:14 am
I don’t look down on you WEAK, SPINELESS LITTLE commercial designers pushing your PLANET-DESTROYING PROPOGANDA!… just kidding (most of the time I’m one of you). I’m not saying that what most of us do to make a living is of the devil. But what are we doing to expand where we have influence?
I haven’t seen too many “butt toner” advertisments in design mags, but also haven’t seen to many phone bills either. However, I think there are phone bills out there that have resulted in reduced costs for many companies and organizations. And that reduction of error and cost, seems to be more predictible (sellable) than trying to predict successful advertising.
February 24th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Adrian, To designers, it is obvious that good design is good business. If we believe that and there is money involved, then good design in everyday business doesn’t really need much more promotion.
A little change in perspective is good at times. It doesn’t hurt to think about design promoting something other than profits. Why do we have to be “offended” when we are challenged in ways like this? Why can’t we keep creating great dog biscuit packaging and also try to look for different avenues where design can change the world (in perhaps bigger leaps)?
I can go either way on this issue. Although, when it comes to branding I have to side with the Economist’s view point rather than Klein’s No Logo. Maybe I would change my mind if I had read the entire book instead of just essays.
February 24th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Clinton, you ELITIST PIE-IN-THE-SKY designer!
Pity we can’t get more butt-toner ads in design annuals. You’re right, of course. There is something sublime & wonderful about creating a simple thing–like a phone bill–which saves the client money and is clear for the consumer. I work for those times.
As far as doors go, most residential entry doors are designed and installed to open inwards. This keeps the hinges on the inside of the frame so they cannot easily be broken by a potential intruder thus bypassing the lock to remove the door. Many public building entry doors are installed to open outwards, making it more difficult for a potential intruder to barricade themselves in with hostages. To know whether to push or pull, just look for the hinges. Or, look for the Automatic CAUTION Door.
February 24th, 2006 at 10:59 am
Clint, I know you aren’t purposely insulting the everyday designer. Sorry for painting it that way. I just get emotional when I start talking about butt toner.
Bennett, I am a little surprised that you see it as an Economist vs. No Logo issue. I hadn’t thought of it that way. If it is defined in those terms it makes it much harder for me to pick a side.
Rebecca, I have only tried opening an automatic exit door once or twice. I learn that lesson pretty quick!
Who designed that “CAUTION” sticker, anyway.
February 24th, 2006 at 11:03 am
I am a little surprised that you see it as an Economist vs. No Logo issue. I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Maybe its not the same issue. It just seems like some of the same arguments are being made about branding and consumerism. There are some issues here that don’t deal with the No Logo topic.
July 27th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
I’m a Grapic Designer for a Sign Company. We run into this type of constraint all of the time. The “Automatic Caution Door” design comes from ICC/ANSI (International Code Council /American National Standards Institute) specifications for “Low Energy Doors”. So the fact is it’s really designed more for people with handicaps (much like ADA Braille rules for blind people) than for fru fru designers. There is some berth for making it a little more ledgible, but you do have to stay within the guidlines. It says automatic anyway, why are you pushing or pulling on it?
January 25th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I dont think that this open letter will do something at all