Way to start New Year off, right? =)

Actually, this is not so about me having an existential angst session about my chosen profession, as it is about some realizations that have come to pass over this recent holiday season.

The main thing is this: design is not as important as designers think it is. If you have ever tried to explain your profession or show your portfolio to relatives or non-design friends or even some potential clients, you can probably understand what I mean. (I am speaking here mostly about *graphic* design, but this could also apply to other types of design like fashion, architectural, industrial.)

I basically noticed that there is a prevailing tendency among those of an older generation to greet graphic design with a bit of generational detachment, like it is this “newfangled toy” that the youngsters like to play with. I heard a friend of my mother’s express the belief that graphic design is a trending pursuit of young folk who presumably have a greater need to preen and present themselves attractively. He used the example of presenting a well-made business card as being like styling your hair before a party. This smacks somewhat of a dismissal, similar to how one would dismiss a teenage girl’s overzealous preoccupation with eye makeup.

The fact of the matter is, most people understand graphic design as cosmetics, and though the cosmetics and beauty industry is hugely profitable and here to stay, cosmetics has its share of problems and stigmas. It is alternately viewed as frivolous, unnecessary, or just plain untruthful. Sometimes it’s used to mean “disguise.” And it’s telling that the phrase “painted lady” is occasionally used as a euphemism for prostitutes (never mind that it’s also a lovely butterfly).

Equating graphic design and all its intellectual achievements with the eye shadow of a street-side dame sounds like some sort of blasphemy, but I’m not going to spend the rest of this entry railing at the injustice of this perception. Otherwise I would have titled this entry “Design is misunderstood.” I don’t actually think this is a misunderstanding at all, because that would imply that designers are “right” and everybody else who has no idea what’s going on is “wrong.” One should always be cautious when invoking those words.

Ultimately, we may see ourselves as the elite vanguard of intelligent visual communication in the world, but the rest of the world simply does not agree… or really care. I choose not to find this devastating, but instead acknowledge it as a reality. Doing so may seem fatalist but I think it is a positive thing. It saves us from ourselves: the hour upon futile hour bemoaning the aesthetic ineptitude of the masses, the long nights spent agonizing about the way client X mistreats and devalues us. (Okay, in the latter example, sometimes client X really *is* a pompous miscreant, but it’s still not worth the brain cells.) It saves us from making enemies of everyone. The masses are not inept just because they can’t tell the difference between Bodoni and Caslon. They merely have other priorities. And certainly, it is a beautiful thing to know exactly when to use one or the other to harmonious effect, but we shouldn’t fault others outside of the profession for treating this distinction with some level of confusion or apathy.

Moreover, we’re not heroes. Our work is not going to, any any direct manner, save the rainforests or bring peace to the Middle East. Even those who claim to be socially conscious designers, filling the streets with their passionate messages in poster or leaflet form, cannot claim to be anything more than assistants in a cause. Makeup assistants, at that.

Where am I going with this? Hundreds of articles have already been written in the profession’s defense, arguing for its practical benefits (boosting sales, capturing markets, inspiring action, inciting dialogue) as well as its artistic gifts. These are necessary if the profession is to survive—it needs to make a case for itself so people will actually *want* to hire designers.

The point of my rant, on the other hand, is not to undermine the work of the AIGA. It’s merely to give myself and anyone who reads this a dollop of realism. Realism so that we do not blow the role of design in society out of proportion. Designers (I guess any profession) tend to do that, gathering in enclaves to pat each other on the back. And of course, it’s great fun… what designer doesn’t want to get nerdy with a fellow designer over a heady beer, debating the merits of Typekit vs. @font-face? We need one another. But there’s a point at which we start to insulate ourselves from the realities of the outside world to our detriment. We lose faith and trust in our clients before we even meet them. We get touchy about their opinions before we even hear them out. And we spend so much time in whine-mode with aforementioned fellow designer over aforementioned beer, when instead we could be finding better ways to reach out, listen, and understand what design really means to others, and how to make it serve the world better.

And maybe, in doing so, we actually will change the world’s perception of design. Food for thought.

Happy New Decade!