Are you a design addict?

I posted a few of my thoughts going through my head the last week about design and this is one that I want to expand on – the notion of design being addictive. The point I was thinking about was:

What inspires people to do what they do? Is the need to design like addiction?

These are sort of 2 questions but they are linked, well in my mind and for the purpose of this post. When I am talking about design addiction I am not on about snorting pixels or hoarding every design item you can until your home becomes a mirror of some vast design museum (insert national design museum of your nation here). I’m not talking about stalking designers at conferences or hanging outside ikea drooling on windows. I’m talking about having a need to design and appreciate design – you don’t have to design to be a design addict (I will get to what I think is design or not in a vague way in a bit).

Confessions of a design addict

From my view point I do feel a ‘need’ to design. I have been known to whatever job I did do design in some way. I am not even talking about having the role as for a long time I had the developer hat slapped on my head, which for a while was considered a one or the other not the melting that happens now as the two merged. I even managed to make the most boring jobs have some design element – you should see how pretty I can make a spreadsheet (yes, I wish I hadn’t admitted that one). I love good design in anything from furniture, technical gadgets through to all areas of life. I probably should wear a badge saying ‘design freak’ … maybe I do with this blog. Now I don’t go as far as seeing the Ikea catalogue as porn, or viewing css galleries all day to get my fix. I have what some may call a more ‘wide’ definition of what design is.

So, what is design?

Design, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavors, is used both as a noun and a verb. As a verb, “to design” refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, or component. As a noun, “a design” is used for both the final (solution) plan (e.g. proposal, drawing, model, description) or the result of implementing that plan (e.g. object produced, result of the process). More recently, processes (in general) have also been treated as products of design, giving new meaning to the term “process design”.
- Wikipedia on design

I have had an issue for a while with the concept of design = images. Whilst this is not something so heavily subscribed to now and that is something I’m happy about. I can see design in a good bit of code, in a great flow chart, in a great speech – it’s all design to me. I remember my first day studying live arts and the lecturer asking us to define ‘what is art’ – enter a long term of debate and the end result being ‘your interpretation’. I’m not going to hear open the can o worms that is ‘what is art and what is design’ (maybe another day) or ‘what is design’ (again another day maybe someday), but design to me is about what you interpret it and ultimately you know good design when you see it. I would say that sometimes you also don’t know when you see it as that is often the point when it ‘just works’.

When should you go to designaholics anonymous?

One comment in my Sunday round up struck a cord with me:

I think the need to design can be like an addiction… look at how people change their site design every few months!
- Montoya

The one bug (as you may know by now if read this for more than 5 minutes) is over design and not knowing when enough is enough. Like with so many things whilst you preach sometimes you fall on the side of not listening to yourself and I in the past was guilty of this. To me that stepping away is the sign of good design. Knowing the bits to leave or the bits to not poke anymore – that is truly being a good designer. Along with this as much as being a sponge a designer should themselves take a step back every once in a while and live with what they have done.

One of the dangers there always was for me in making a rule to change my blog every season was the ‘over working’ and let alone the pacing of doing that. I’ve had a sort of bit of a realisation about my own design work lately and see more and more a move in myself to try and learn when to leave alone (taking your own advice is often best). This is possibly one of the longest times I’ve not touched the design of this blog and that isn’t a bad thing. Whilst there are things I know I want to change I like the fact I’m learning by living with things.

I’ve started trying this ‘leaving alone’ with my client work by mentally moving deadlines (where possible) ahead a few days so I get to ‘live’ with these designs. It’s having some good results for me (well I think they are good and no clients have thrown things at my head) as I am taking time to stop myself and step back to judge things. I’ve also started stopping in phases on designs by getting to a point (the key is trying to learn when this is and it’s a work in progress with me to find this) and closing down that design. I make sure I don’t touch it for at least as long as I can, attempting a day but not always the case. When I come back I am finding that my fear of ‘loosing the flow’ isn’t the case as I am in-fact picking up where I left off without going too far and able to see it more clearly and avoid the ‘pixel too far’.

Is there a cure for this disease?

I really hope not to be honest. Whilst I think like any addiction you have to keep it in touch, it’s also in your blood or not possibly. I like to in my furry happy world think there is a design addict in a most people – I am also aware of the reality that this isn’t my furry happy world. I like that I see design in a lot of things not traditionally labeled ‘design’ and know I’m not alone in this. Yes, you may say it’s because of my career path and maybe that is true. I wasn’t born doing this job though (whether you believe you end up doing what you are meant to or not) and this isn’t something I’ve ever not felt, even if I mistook in my early life image being the only way to express design – I don’t say it’s a mistake without having made it usually myself.

My name is Tammie and I’m a design addict

So, go on admit it are you a design addict? All comments are anonymous (honest ;)) Who is going to hold their hand up true meeting style and say out loud ‘My name is [insert your name] and I’m a design addict’.