Design is an intimate practice between my clients, their customers, and myself. Branding is talk therapy for a business. It is a practice of working through what a business is, where it is now, and goals for what it should become. So, while I spend most of my time doing design work, I spend little time wading into discussions on design. Who am I to judge a logo or type choice without sitting with the stakeholders and understanding what went into their decision-making process? Who am I to tell you what the best fonts are without sitting with you to understand your brand voice? A lack of curiosity and insight leads to hot takes, shitposts, and pedantry.
When painters talk shop, they discuss turpentine and pigments. Carpenters discuss joins and tools. Instead of writing about design and what it does for people, I gravitate towards CSS, fonts, and features in Figma. We too often value what we consume over what we produce. So I discuss and write about what I consume. But discussing design is worthy and worthwhile. We, as designers, are in leadership roles now. To keep our long-fought and hard-won seat at the table, we need to be able to discuss the impact of our work in a way that is approachable and compelling.
So I challenge myself, and I challenge you, to consider the impact design has on the world. We can be curious and consider the things we see. We can learn through earnest inquisition. We can share those insights through thoughtful and compassionate conversation.
