As someone about to get a degree in advertising/graphic design, i struggled for a long time with what that meant. Most people who find out I go to art school ask what I do and don’t really have context for what a designer actually does everyday. Often they automatically go to fine arts in their mind or to an episode of “Madmen” if I mention advertising.

Trying to explain that research and strategy make what I do appear as much like business or science as art at times only muddies the waters more. However, I can hardly blame them for being confused. There are so many job titles under the umbrella of design that even most design students I know have no idea what to call themselves either.

I found early on that the best way for me to describe it for others is that I solve problems using visual solutions. A gross oversimplification I know, but it seemed to convey a general sense of problem solver first, medium second. What I failed to ever include in my explanation, however, is the most important part of my job. That is the audience and their emotional reaction to the work.

Today, then, I must tip my hat and say, Thank you! In one sentence you have captured the essence of what we do better than any other explanation I’ve ever seen.