why I care so much
Maybe I’m just eager, young and naive, but to me Communications Design is not only a profession, it informs many aspects of my life. In the same way, the clarity, purpose and honesty with which I try to carve my personal path constantly reflects in my work as both a student and as a professional.
Its not to say that I care about design more than you. Yet, I cannot help but wonder and question everything that happens in our profession. I have become occupied with the urge to preserve, safeguard and build a better future for our profession, questioning if there actually is something that we can call a Profession (as something done by professionals). If there is one book that opened my eyes to the many issues I had been struggling with it is Norman Potter’s What Is A Designer. Potter’s clarity helped define Design as best as I have ever encountered. He was able to take intangible and difficult to explain processes and describe them with unparalleled simplicity. The book sits next to my desk with many sticky notes bookmarking all the important statements or quotes I found. Simply put, that book deeply resonated with me.
Moving along with my thesis research has led me to many engaging conversations, long days of reading and even more nights of questioning everything. I have already asked many questions but there are many more with no clear answer. What is Graphic Design? Is it an established profession or a technical field? When does Graphic Design morph into Communications Design? Do computers and portfolios make the designer? And most importantly: When do we earn the title Graphic/Communications Designer? This website is an open platform where we can all engage in these issues and questions. I await to hear your point of view.