David Herdeiro2023 Sep. 23 (@ Medium.com)
Hot take: They (Probably) Don't Need a Designer
I know. It’s a strong and depreciative stance, but don’t hate me yet…
On my very first day as a design student, I was told that “We
[designers] are important because we solve problems”, and, as a
motivational motto, that’s fine. However, take out what’s in between the
brackets and forget the context, and you'll get: “We are important
because we solve problems” and that doesn't mean much, really. Designers
are important because they solve problems, but so do engineers and
mechanics, managers and recruiters, gardeners and plumbers. Solving a
problem is not the reason why a job is important, it’s the reason why
that job exists. Problems create jobs.
There was a need to communicate better and faster, and so design was
born—and with it, the designers’ species.
Now let's get back to the title of this article, but this time let’s
rephrase it as a question: “Do they need a designer?”
To which I answer: “Well, probably not!”
Sure, it might be cool to redesign your local mini-market. Maybe you
have some cool ideas for that old, independent, second-hand clothing
store on the corner of your street. However, ask yourself if it makes
sense for that small business owner to invest in design, especially
during these times of economic and social crisis. Surely what they do
with their money is totally their choice, but you, as the service
provider, should always keep in mind the power that your service has and
what it will cost your client.
When being approached by a potentially new client, ask them if this
really is the step that they want to take. Be conscious of the changes
that the redesign will bring to their business. Is design what their
business needs? Will the new sales compensate for the cost of your
service? Maybe not.
Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example:
Charlie has a restaurant. And Charlie’s restaurant is going through some
hard times, the business is losing clients, and paying the employees is
getting harder every month. Therefore, Charlie decides that what the
restaurant needs is a new image. From a big logo on the wall to new
branded menus and napkins, Charlie wants it all. You—the
designer—receive Charlie’s invitation for a small talk regarding this
project at their restaurant. Now it should be the designer’s job not
only to listen, but also to talk. Sure, you can do everything that
Charlie asks for, but the question that you should now answer is: Will
this help Charlie’s business?
Design costs money, you’re obviously not doing it for free (right?), and
the truth is that maybe Charlie could be using that same money on a
higher priority. Is it the lack of branded napkins that is pushing
clients away, or is it the weird smell in the air? Is the new logotype
going to help sales if the service is bad? Having a new Social Media
image will surely not help with the taste of the food (sorry, chef!).
As a Charlie, a new and beautiful design might look like the only answer
to the problem. Maybe for lack of self-awareness or just the fear of
admitting that there are bigger, deeper issues, Charlie did not
understand that the issue was not the lack of design, so they will go
after what’s missing instead of what’s wrong.
As the designer, you should have the professional responsibility of
guiding people through situations like these. Being honest (not only
with Charlie, but with yourself) could have prevented Charlie from
drowning their business in a deeper, although beautiful, mess.
This problem, however, does not only occur via client-seeks-designer. It
can also occur when a freelance designer pitches their services to a
potentially new client. As the service provider, you should ask yourself
before hand if the possible new client really needs your services,
because it might happen that they agree with you, ignorant of the
possible prejudice that they are about to cause to their business.
Design, in the right hands, can act like a beautiful bait. Whoever is
the prey might not fully comprehend the necessity of design, and that
should be a main concern when pitching your services. I would say that a
good rule of thumb would be to ask yourself if you would be selling that
service to a close relative or friend. Empathy for the client should
come before the money talk.
Designers have the ability to create astounding visual and conceptual
work that might leave some mouths open, but this power should come with
the responsibility of understanding that “just because you can, doesn’t
mean that you should”.
See it like this: would it be okay for a pharmacist, someone that we
tend to blindly trust, to try to sell you something that you don’t
actually need? The same thought can be applied to a designer trying to
sell a service to someone who, ignorant of its need, might agree with
the designer simply because that person will trust the service seller
with the beautiful presentation.
In a utopia, this wouldn’t happen because not only would the designer
have empathy for the client, but also because the client should
understand what's best for their business. However, we don’t live in a
perfect world. So it should be up to us, designers, to understand the
needs of our job, and to explain them to others when it is obvious that
they don’t fully grasp why they would need a design.
We live in a time where visuality sells more than quality. And
unfortunately, many small business owners cannot compete with the huge,
global companies that constantly overshadow them. These particular
owners are the ones that might, in an act of despair, think of a visual
makeover for their business as the solution. Sometimes ignorant of the
fact that they should only work on the outside after figuring out what’s
wrong on the inside.
There’s so much that design can do. Charlie might have new cutlery with
their logo on it, but that (probably) will not change the fact that
people are choosing another restaurant over them. So, don’t try to sell
Charlie a vision of hope that the new design is the answer; instead, try
to help their business understand what is wrong at its core.
Selling design as the ultimate solution when it obviously is not will
not only hurt your reputation but also the reputation of the design
community. Next time that Charlie thinks of hiring a designer, they
might remember that one time when it didn’t work, and so they might not
do it. Even if a designer is necessary.
I’m not asking you, fellow designer, to agree with me. I know that this
is a controversial opinion, especially when getting new clients is what
puts food on your table. The morality of design should be left for the
designer to dictate. The empathy should be for the human.
