Benefits of graphic design for the non-designer?

[insertia]

I'm giving a speech to an oral communications class about the benefits of knowing how to design your own material for... Um, that's the part I'm stuck on. Own material for what? I don't know what to narrow it down to. Also, do you all think it's beneficial for the average person to understand graphic design so they can put it to use for their own ventures?

I want to explain the process(knowing your audience, what you want to communicate, ect), then explain the design portion and how it all comes together.

Kind of stuck. If you all could throw out some opinions regarding the subject it'd be appreciated.

[DesignVHL]

Personally, I get insulted when non-designers try to be designers. I didn't take all this time to learn my trade for nothing. I might be of the minority on this though, I don't know. But I honestly do not see ANY benefits. More than anything, it will hurt that individuals business because they don't know what a pro designer knows. Experience goes a LONG WAY imo.

I DO think that non-designers should LEARN why they should look to hiring a designer, instead of tackling creative projects they have no experience with on their own though. Nothing wrong with playing around as a hobby. But when an indvidual tries to create their own branding and marketing materials, as well as their website, - for a business they are supposedly serious about wanting success on, usually the bad design and lack of knowledge shows through, and can end up hurting their business more - bad design looks unprofessional, and can easily turn clients away. I know when I hit a website that has TERRIBLE design, I close it and go to a different company that has an impressive website - but that could be because I'm in the design field, who knows! :)

SO I think more than ANYTHING, the most valuable thing would be to LEARN how to PROPERLY work WITH a creative/pro designer to make the best of your creative needs and maximize your efforts in that area.

Thats my take...

[CkretAjint]

Thank you VHL for taking the words right out my mouth.

Sure it saves them a few pennies up front, but in the end they are the ones who suffer. It takes money to make money, it doesn't come from no where!

[DesignVHL]

Ck I know we are often on the same page....

:)

It makes me CRAZY that design budgets are often cut, or not properly managed - and the fact that they can't realize the importance of good design. Then again, I prefer to work with clients that DO understand that design is important, and helps maximize business.

*I will say this - if businesses need great design, but can't afford it. Either take out a loan, save some more $ and wait a few months till your there, or keep with in your budget and hire a student willing to work for cheaper. Though, NEVER ask for free work - EVER - I think that gets even more and more insulting every day.

[CkretAjint]

You think Nike, Microsoft, Apple and McDonalds all design their own stuff? Well, they hire people to work for them who know what they are doing.

But you don't see the programmers at Microsoft designing the box to go with the next Office Suite. You don't see the burger flipper designing the next Big Mac box (in powerpoint or Word :p)...

[insertia]

Thanks for the input. You got my memory banks flowing.

I definitely agree if you want pro-results, don't bother doing it on your own and let a real GD do it. On the other hand I think about the dozens and dozens of people I know in college that are in clubs, starting their own personal business (with $0 for advertising), wanting to promote a party, create a dvd or cd cover for home projects, ect. It's not taking anything away from us if they know how to create their own designs. It's beneficial for them when that they can actually do these things on their on. It's not like these people have the funds or access to a professional graphic designer to begin with. They can just use their cheap scanners, free graphic softerware that came with their camera, home printers, and Intel Celerons they're running from home to get decent results. I think that’s a good thing if they understand this.

But I definitely agree, if you're pursuing something major. Get a REAL graphics designer. At my job (millions of dollars worth of products here) the CEO's daughter, with no experience or real education in the field, designed the site (she had a stroke, gives her something to do). Novel, yeah. But the site looks awful and I'm pretty sure if they let me handle it they'd probably get more hits and orders.

For the non-designer not really expecting the quality they'd get from hiring one of us, I think it'll be a good thing to learn. Just trying to figure out how it benefits them...maybe I answered my own question. lol

[DesignVHL]

ck you wanna handle this or shall i. :p you better, i'm still shaking.

[CkretAjint]

VHL, I'm quite busy right now, here is my 1 minute stab at this...

While it may seem like a good idea, it probably isn't. By the time the printer fixes their free artwork they so wonderfully crafted, they will end up with a time expensive home-made piece instead of a quality expensive professional piece. While the intention and though was nice, the out come will be poor...

Printers charge by the hour! and if you used word to design your brochure, and they have to rebuild it, your bill won't be cheap!

[Spunky Nerd]

Thanks for the input. You got my memory banks flowing.

It's not taking anything away from us if they know how to create their own designs. It's beneficial for them when that they can actually do these things on their on. It's not like these people have the funds or access to a professional graphic designer to begin with. They can just use their cheap scanners, free graphic softerware that came with their camera, home printers, and Intel Celerons they're running from home to get decent results. I think that’s a good thing if they understand this.

For the non-designer not really expecting the quality they'd get from hiring one of us, I think it'll be a good thing to learn. Just trying to figure out how it benefits them...maybe I answered my own question. lol

Hmm...wow... I completely don't agree with you. Thats like saying that average people should at least know how to do body repair on their own cars(sorry I dont have a better example of car things, I obviously know nothing about it, but that helps my point).... yes, it's cheaper but it usually ends up look like sh*t, and then there would be no mechanics...

If people did all the small things themselves (small business logos, postcards, BC's, fliers, brochures) where would students start out at?? If all you have is do it yourself small stuff and then professional high dollar stuff where does that leave the little guy? In the field we work in to advance and keep working it is important that people aren't mastering the creation of small material for themselves because there would be no room to grow for new graphic designers...

people should know how hard it is to do these things and maybe a couple of terms so when you ask for a vector file their heads do not start spinning, but as far as do it yourself graphics, please shoot me if this ever happens...

[budafist]

Do you think since this is a problem in our industry that we, as consumers of other things are more likely to seek professional opinion when we know we are out of our depth?

Example: Go find a caterer instead of trying to cook at our own events?

[Spunky Nerd]

I hadn't thought about that... I do know that if I don't know how to do something fully that I at least will ask the advice on how to do it from a professional or have that professional do it. Even if I didn't have the money to do anything like hire a decorator for a party I would probably call people that I knew who did that sort of thing and ask for help and pay them for ideas and advice.

What do you think...

[The_Black_Knight]

Here are a couple of things I can think of where knowing even a little graphic design can be helpful for the non-designer:
Better looking résumés. A nicely formatted résumé may give a prospective employee an edge over someone with similar qualifications that has a sloppy or very plain looking one. Even subtle things such as column width and leading can make a big difference in appearance and legibility.
Better business presentations. Instead of using every font and piece of clipart available, and nicely designed business presentation will make more of an impact than one that is just slapped together. A little knowledge of graphic design basics and can go a long way here. A presentation that's designed well should not only look better, it should help make the information more accessible and more memorable.I don't feel that either one of these items impinges on the territory of the graphic designer. I'm sure there are other areas that would help the non-designer.

I think that this situation can be compared to cooking, as budafist mentions. For example, does the fact that I know how to cook mean that I never eat at restaurants? Or the fact that I can cook for a few friends, mean that I would feel comfortable cooking for 100 people? No.

In a similar vein, would it help someone designing a business presentation for their boss or their boss's boss to understand balance, proportion, and color? Will knowing this put graphic designers out of business? I kinda doubt it. Just because someone designed an in-house business proposal doesn't mean that person will now turn around and design the company's latest advertising campaign.

And here's a news flash: people are already designing their own graphics (and have been for forever), but they are doing it very badly. Wouldn't it be nice if people designed their own graphics, but instead of using Microsoft clip art, they used something tasteful, instead? Or instead of putting magenta type on a purple background, the used a better color scheme? Or instead of using Comic Sans they used... well, anything else?

[DesignVHL]

I don't know you make some good points. But aren't templates in PP and etc. there for a reason? Anyone can be a designer with the NEW MS Office! :p

I was hired by my boss for MANY reasons related to marketing and design. ONE of them WAS to create great business presentations for him, because he was smart enough to accept the fact that this just was not his thing. *NOTICE HE REALIZED this. What HURTS, is when OTHERS do NOT realize they just do not have it! Some are more creative than others. HIS time was better spent being the VP of sales and Marketing. Mine was to visually communicate his ideas.

But I have to tell you...some get it, some don't. I have a current example. I don't want to run this website I am linking completely under the bus - as he is a super nice guy on a board I admin, and really just wanted to get this up for fun, and secondly for selling his artwork. He keeps asking me for advice and help on the project - how to do this, or how to fix that, etc. He's spent OVER 6 months (including starting over with a new template) a few times. He finally launched this over the weekend. Half the links are broken and content is missing.

Edit: URL removed by PrintDriver. GDF does not allow posting of another's work for comment or criticism.

Now, he is VERY ADAMENT about doing this himself - he either has no money to spend on hiring a designer, is just wanting this to be a learning experience to html and css (which he was very new to when he started), or doesn't WANT to spend the $ for it to get done right. Either way...this is what he's got. He basically edited a template I think...He is trying to sell his "graphics designs" and photography (which I am not even sure he really has permission to do) on there, as well as use it as his personal haven to tell the world what concerts he has been to, and what bands he likes.

I feel bad saying this, but I am quite sure not much will sell. Not just because this site looks like it was done in the early 90's, but the product isn't very powerful. He IS NOT a designer, and it SHOWS. I think this site is going to hurt his business more than help. I really don't know how to tell him in a nice way anymore - I have tried hinting it. Its like telling an american idol contestant they really can't SING! His friends on the board won't tell him the design is aweful either - and I KNOW some do recognize that, I have talked to them about it. I just don't know how to not be mean about it at this point. I feel i have offered valuable advice to him, and he still just doesn't get it. He IS definitely stuck in rainbow land. La La La.

OK, so now that he has done this, he has asked me once again (I think its the third or fourth time) to peek at the code to see whats wrong. My response to him is constant: "You know my hourly rate if you would like to hire me". He says he wants to keep trying to learn things on his own and get my "free" advice. I HAVE tried to explain small design concepts and directed him to some resources, but apparently he ignores them and does what he wants anyways. OR just doesn't understand.

Look, it has taken us pro designers a long time to learn what we know. Why should we be giving away so much free advice or fix mistakes? Its different on a community like this, or for close family/friends - we all give a little, take a little. But for someone like this, someone I barely know even, why offer the free? I don't mind a helping a little here or there, but I think it goes beyond what my time would allow to fix these mistakes. I don't think I am being greedy when I ask him to pay me, I have a living to make, and I already work 10-14 hrs in a day on average. So I get frustrated with this.

SO imo, this is ONE good example of why its better to save $, create a design budget, and leave it to the pros.

(sorry this is so long) But maybe it will help explain IMO, why I don't think Non-designers should try to be a designer.

[budafist]

I think something that we run into all the time are non-designers that realise that they can't design, so they hire you. Yet the still want to tell you how to do your job.

[Spunky Nerd]

aka, my boss playing graphic designer on a daily basis...

[idaho]

Hmm...wow... I completely don't agree with you. Thats like saying that average people should at least know how to do body repair on their own cars(sorry I dont have a better example of car things, I obviously know nothing about it, but that helps my point).... yes, it's cheaper but it usually ends up look like sh*t, and then there would be no mechanics...

I've always preferred a little different analogy... Would you be as cheap when you choose a doctor? When your life is on the line you choose a good doctor rather trying to fix the problem yourself. The same could be said for your business. When your business is on the line, would you rather choose a pro or be cheap and do it yourself and hope your doing it right?

Just a thought.

[budafist]

aka, my boss playing graphic designer on a daily basis...

I guess I'm lucky. My bosses and sales people make suggestion followed with "but I'm not a designer so do whatever you think is best". They actually mean it too!

Maybe I've become scary to them. :D

[DesignVHL]

Yeah I don't really have any MAJOR issues with my boss either - yeah he isn't the most respectful of women, yeah, he's a total control freak, yeah he has absolutely no concept of project mgmt, or what a deadline is...but at least he does give me the benefit of the doubt FOR THE MOST PART. SOmetimes he'll be stuck on something, and well, after working for him for 3 years, I really don't care or bother arguing with him. I have enough passion for my independant work that I don't let it get to me.

[Spunky Nerd]

I've always preferred a little different analogy... Would you be as cheap when you choose a doctor? When your life is on the line you choose a good doctor rather trying to fix the problem yourself. The same could be said for your business. When your business is on the line, would you rather choose a pro or be cheap and do it yourself and hope your doing it right?

Just a thought.

That's what I was saying... We could all learn how to do something, but it would end up "looking like sh*t"

[hewligan]

I've always preferred a little different analogy... Would you be as cheap when you choose a doctor? When your life is on the line you choose a good doctor rather trying to fix the problem yourself. The same could be said for your business. When your business is on the line, would you rather choose a pro or be cheap and do it yourself and hope your doing it right?

Just a thought.

Depends. If I've just got a bit of a headache, then I'd probably just take a couple of panadol and not bother with the doctor. But it's a good idea to know how many panadol I should take.

[PrintDriver]

The college kids' clubs don't need to hire a designer to post a flyer for their next party. The local Community theatre doesn't have to hire a designer to do their poster or program (but this is slightly different being non-profit, someone in the design field usually steps up pro bono). The local church doesn't need anything other than Word to do their Sunday psalm listing. The average salesman doesn't need to hire a designer to put together a decent PowerPoint presentation.

As BK said, people have been designing their own stuff for forever. And will continue to do so. Get over it.

[budafist]

I try and find the cheapest doctor I can. I don't have a GP so I have to find the cheapest emergency doctor and that usually cost between $60 to $90 for the consultation.

I also tell them what to prescribe!

[DesignVHL]

PD I COMPLETELY agree with you. Nothing wrong with small clubs and school theaters and parties doing just that. What IRKS me, are BUSINESSES looking for free or cheap design - OR looking to cut corners by thinking they can do something effective on their own (or asking for free work) without the knowledge WE have learned through years of experience, study, and well, design community interaction. But I guess to each is own. If they feel like taking the long road to a successful business venture, so be it. To me, its like taking a risk. Either your going to turn away business by it not looking very professional, or your product/service is so great, that design doesn't matter and success is around the corner anyways.

[frankster]

It feels like we've arrived at the knackers yard with our baseball bats again.

[The_Black_Knight]

Hmmm. Following some of the logic I'm seeing here...
I should never decorate my own home. I should always hire an interior decorator
I must never mow my own lawn. I must always pay landscapers to take care of my lawn for me
I must never cook for myself, so I must hire a chef to cook for me
I should never trim my own fingernails, but go to a manicurist exclusively
I should never drive myself anywhere, because it's better for me to hire a person trained to drive me aroundAnd so on, and on, and on. So because a professional can do any one of these things better than I can, I should never learn how to be better at cooking, or driving, or decorating my house? And anyone who isn't a professional designer should be forbidden from learning how to make their documents look better, but have to call one of you guys to fix everything that uses a font or a picture for them?

That is just patently absurd. Seriously. It's ridiculous.

[budafist]

And anyone who isn't a professional designer should be forbidden from learning how to make their documents look better, but have to call one of you guys to fix everything that uses a font or a picture for them?

I don't think that is what is being said at all. There are degrees of what a professional should do. Some jobs of course, are too small and don't have the budget.

[hewligan]

I don't think that is what is being said at all.

Funny, because that's exactly what it sounded like to me.

Now I'm off to find the beating a dead horse graphic Kittie made, because it is the funny.

[hewligan]

Ah, here it is:

http://i18.tinypic.com/8a0vl83.gif

:D

[DesignVHL]

You're taking the analogy too far.

All I am saying is if your a business trying to be successful, hire a damn professional if you care about that success.

If your trying to sell a small group some products and are meeting in a small conference room, and hey your a bit creative - go to it! More power to you!

I rather work with clients who APPRECIATE the VALUE of great design. And want more than the cookie cutter templates out there.

And I don't think that Cooking, driving, and other daily activities can even compare to where this topic was going - at least for my personal take on all this.

[The_Black_Knight]

From the OP:

"Also, do you all think it's beneficial for the average person to understand graphic design so they can put it to use for their own ventures?"

In reply to this, I suggested that having enough design knowledge to be able to make nice presentations and résumés would be nice for the non-designer. You took the original post as suggesting how professional designers could be replaced by non-designers and flew off on a rant.

If someone can put together a nice presentation that doesn't have a design degree, does that automatically mean that they don't value the skills that a professional designer can offer a company? Are these mutually exclusive concepts?

[DesignVHL]

Sure i suppose it can't hurt to give them some pointers/guidelines. I've done it. BUT that doesn't mean they will follow it, as in my experience with the website I posted earlier today. I seriously tried. Maybe that heated me up a bit today because this guy's been asking me for help for months, and doesn't take my advice or doesn't understand how to. SO I guess it is a matter of either you have the ability to understand those guidelines, or you don't.

Your right, it can't hurt to give guidelines and help non-designers find a way to communicate their ideas in a more visually appealing way. For someone with the time, maybe they could write a design blog: Guidelines for the non-designer. I just don't have time for that right now I suppose, and I don't think I would know where to stop. It would be way too long. :p :D But not a bad idea all the same.

[tZ]

insertia wrote

Get a REAL graphics designer.

[tZ]

The average person does understand design they just don't know how to apply it something meaningful. Gestalt is a basic psychological principle. Furthermore, everyone has a basic understanding of organization. I'm going to go against the grain and say It would be helpful for those not educated on design to be educated on it. Not only do I think it would help people understand what we do(besides create pretty graphics) but, appreciate it more once they encounter and experience the day to day dilema's, projects and problems of the field. Therefore, I think basic design teaching would benefit the industry more than it would hinder it. Besides just because a particular industry is going through a tough period doesn't mean we should assume dictator like control in an effort to save it or create more jobs. If anything from what history has revealed we should do the opposite.

However, it is important to make it clear that in design there are very few rules. Most of the knowledge you may provide people with are just tools. Therefore, using them is not mutually exclusive with good design. Hence, lies one of the most difficult aspects and problems we face daily in the design industry. Knowing the tools is one thing being able to apply them or even know if they need to be applied is another. Which, is where experience comes in. If people learn best through failure than your seasons designer is te best bet;)

[tZ]

The design industry is a constant battle between emotion and logic. On one hand you want to create something aesthetically pleasing but one the other there needs to be logic in all decisions made beyond appearance because appearance is not static but dynamic – it changes between races, countries, individuals, etc. However, logic is can be at many times a static feature that is consistently perceived in a similar fashion between most individuals. Where the designer sets out to create work that equally analysis and considers this new comers look to aesthetics more than logic. They make decisions based on their own interpretation of the world rather than looking to their audience and objective when making decisions. This is probably the number one aspect that separates entry and junior level work from those with very little knowledge of the field with some software. Its not about what the creator likes but, what will lead to the most successful resolution. That is the essence of all design – not whether the creator likes it or not. If the decisions are purposeful and commit to a higher level of meaning beyond aesthetics that is the essentially good design.

However, making logical decisions requires tools. Those tools are essentially what we mean by saying – guidelines. The guidelines themselves aren’t mutually exclusive with good design but only pave a path way to it. In the end beautiful as well as meaningful design is a combination of intuition and experience. Knowing what tools are best used for one purpose and not another is only something that can be learned through failure and success. Especially when you consider there are no wrong or right ways to solve a design problem. One solution might be more successful in achieving its objective then another but, that doesn’t make the former wrong – only less successful. However, even success is dynamic measurement. What is successful to one person might not be as successful to another. What is successful to the designer might not be successful to the client. Since, design is so subjective in that sense there isn’t really a wrong or right solution – just opinions.

Therefore, when we speak about aesthetics in a broader and more conceptual sense we don’t mean aesthetics in the sense – is it pretty but, more so in sense of consistent viewer perception of the information or message presented. The message of any individual work is increasingly less dynamic than its appearance. The same is true for the information within it. We all speak a fairly common language therefore, the information presented will generally be interrupted consistently and in a static form.

With that said, there’s much more to get into(aesthetics) in terms of tools that are aesthetic for controlling eye movement, balance, etc but, I think its beyond the basic information presented here. However, one example I will give you is that although interest is a fairly dynamic attribute there is a tool for creating it – contrast. However, contrast to you might mean very little besides for difference and thats exactly it – difference. However, defining and revealing tools and ways of creating contrast visually is a large part of graphic design – aesthetics. Contrast in itself is not mutually exclusive with good, successful or engaging design – it is only a tool. Learning how to use this tool and its application visually is a just one of many tools in graphic design. However, in order to understand contrast on a rudimentary level we would need to get into the elements of design which is better left for another discussion. In the end the designer does not set out to make something pretty but meaningful to role it will play in society. Often times this contrasts with what a client may like which is were tension and frustration can arise. However, neither party is wrong just have to different ways of looking at things. Where the designer tries to satisfy all the client may be more about satisfying themselves.

[dige]

A big reason why we design is because it's fun. With the tools readily available to create finished work, non-designers are having also having fun with design. It doesn't mean they create good design, but they enjoy doing it and think it looks good, just like a parent who sees their ugly child as cute. For society, this is bringing down design standards because many more non-designers are doing it themselves and having fun doing it.

[PrintDriver]

For society, this is bringing down design standards because many more non-designers are doing it themselves and having fun doing it.
You forget that 1/2 of all designers are below average in capabilities as well...
:D

[Nox-]

Well, they can do small things like logo's for which they'd have to hire an expert for who wants 500$ for a logo if they couldn't do any graphics at all.

[DC1]

I'm giving a speech to an oral communications class about the benefits of knowing how to design your own material for...
Sorry for going back to the original post, but it sounds like all the fussing is about PowerPoint slides.

"Web Sites That Suck" does a fair job of explaining what good design is through study of bad design -- I don't think anybody is giving away the farm.

Most of what graphic design has to offer shouldn't even be part of the topic. Unless it's about the stuff that shouldn't be in PowerPoint. I suppose you could do something about handouts, but even that is stretching things for an oral communications class.

Based on the actual topic as stated, I'd suggest an introduction to Edward Tufte, information design and all the truly pointless graphic gimmicks PowerPoint users gravitate to.

If we really are talking about PowerPoint we can talk about how PowerPoint rots your brain (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html).

How about a new word for the graphic design vocabulary: Infographic - information graphics. Anyone heard of information aesthetics? ....anyone

We are talking about oral communicators. ....hello? They're not doing layout for a magazine. They're not doing logos. They want a gradient and which color to make the one squiggly line so people seeing it understand it's not the other squiggly line on an X/Y graph.

Maybe you haven't gotten to that part of the course where you research your audience and present to them about a relevant topic. These guys aren't business people. Not only is this audience not specifying print buys at $50k+, or deciding on business identities, you're lucky if more than two-thirds are going to be sober.

If you're talking about getting a good grade, try an audience relevant topic like PowerPoint.

If you're talking about an audience that pays for graphic design, try one without $15,000 of bootleg music and $30,000 of bootleg software back in the dorm. You're lucky if they don't hotlink your porfolio for the web design service they're trying to start.

[PrintDriver]

Well, they can do small things like logo's for which they'd have to hire an expert for who wants 500$ for a logo if they couldn't do any graphics at all.

A logo is the worst thing to do by yourself if you don't know what you are doing. A logo isn't just a pretty picture. Take it from a signmaker, even designers don't do logos right all the time unless taught.