On transcending labels and a taking a path of “friendly uprise”
In a way, everyone within an organization is, in fact, a designer. Every person’s attitude and actions will (sooner or later) have an impact in how users see and experience the product/service; and by extension, the brand. It should be a bit of a no-brainer. That said, this bit is about designers whithin a typical Design framework.
Yes, teaching yourself something proves great determination and discipline, so (without belittling that effort) the fact that pretty much anyone with a good command of Adobe Illustrator can call himself a Designer is both good and not so good news.
The good news…
Should a Design portfolio pursue sheer originality over pure effectiveness, be a unique extension of our (unrepeatable but irrelevant) selves? Can we have both?
I recently read an opinion piece* about Design portfolios looking increasingly similar. It so happens that I’m in the process of renewing & updating my own, so I was naturally drawn to the headline.
Well, not all projects are unique (oh surprise!). They often address common concerns. We usually initiate, plan and execute a project for a very concrete set of reasons, (with our own methodology or the project’s). In the end, its success means we solved one or more problems.
So what is a portfolio, beyond a curated collection of projects? Primarily, portfolios are not there to entertain, nor…
How to shift focus and redefine Design Value
Value is an evergreen buzzword in Design. Everyone wants it or claims to having it. But do we know where it really is? Is it relevant? Let’s find out.
Over the last few years, I have noticed how design looks increasingly similar, for all the wrong reasons (i.e. disregarding real value): to look good on showcase sites such as Behance or Dribble.
Don’t get me wrong: to connect & share work / inspiration / advice is, in principle, a great thing.
One of the issues concerning me is where our community increasingly choose to allocate value: the shallow, the gimmicks…
Alex Nogues
Senior UX Consultant at Sopra Steria UK
