8 comments

  • Shawn BorskyShawn Borsky, 9 years ago

    Most designers have projects that are for dreaming and others that are for their job : which includes solving client problems, following directives and completing business objectives.

    I respect Elliot Jay Stocks quite a bit and this is perhaps meant to have a bit of hyperbole but as designers we seem to down-play that with many projects the market and client atmosphere dictates design decisions. I have seen some sites that are totally dreaming : conceptually cool but not viable for business or as effective for some things as some current trends might be for now.

    4 points
    • Jonathan YapJonathan Yap, 9 years ago (edited 9 years ago )

      I second this, It is a constant challenge for me is to help push clients to the right direction as a business. Instead, a lot of decisions are made by them because they seemingly pays the bill. A lot of it are based on their personal perception of how things are suppose to 'look', largely influenced by what they are exposed to.

      Its hard not to just roll out just another site using e.g. Twitter Bootstrap or Zurb Foundation when it is not effective for the business in terms of speed and cost.

      Some designers are trying to sell the dream, but a lot of people (that we deal with) just aren't buying or cannot afford to, which is really really unfortunate.

      0 points
  • Jonathan CutrellJonathan Cutrell, 9 years ago

    You walk into a library and see a wall of books. Interested, you walk down the wall. You see on every spine of every book that the title has been placed, with a few small variations, in the same place. Many of the books indeed have the same color cover.

    Regardless of the cover color, every one of these books has chosen to have a table of contents. You, as a designer, are appalled at the lack of ingenuity.

    And yet, each and every one of these books has its own story.

    2 points
  • Opeyemi O., 9 years ago (edited 9 years ago )

    There is an interesting reply from MDO here: http://markdotto.com/2014/04/07/dream-on/

    2 points
  • Julian LloydJulian Lloyd, 9 years ago

    I’m glad I’m not alone in my opinion that virtually everything looks the same. (Especially in the tech industry.)

    I was talking to a colleague, and an interesting point he brought is that business does what’s proven — so these companies are going flat because that’s what’s hot, and safe.

    I was a Graphic Designer before I got into the web, and I’ve frequently looked back and chuckled at the websites I "graphic designed" — but recently, I’ve been appreciating the naive and artistic nature in them.

    2 points
  • Er. F.Er. F., 9 years ago (edited 9 years ago )

    Many haven't only stopped dreaming, they've stopped designing. If you're applying some consensus notion of good taste without thinking about your clients'—or your company's—needs, voice, personality, et al, you're not really designing anything, you're just applying a style.

    Great post. People need to hear this.

    2 points
  • Diego LafuenteDiego Lafuente, 9 years ago

    What is a webdesigner? the guy who does it all? Best projects are made by a specialized group, not one guy.

    0 points