A Lesson in Hubris
Thoughts about the new TN logo and the underlying societal trends behind the backlash.
Today the controversy over Tennessee’s new state logo was awarded the national spotlight in advertising circles after receiving a writeup in industry publication Adweek. Unfortunately, while Adweek had the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with the design community, the actual article was a lazy rewrite of the numerous stories that preceded it and could be summarized in the sentence, “some people don’t like it, some people do, twitter doesn’t like it.” To me, this was a huge disappointment. Adweek could have talked about the problems of judging design in a vacuum, the highly involved process that goes into creating a new logo, balancing client requests with design aesthetics, or a host of other advertising industry issues, but instead chose to release a bunch of meaningless words. To curb my dissatisfaction with the current media coverage, I’ve decided to write my own take on the issue — an issue that embodies the idea of spectator hubris.
Before I get to the hubris, I want to touch on how a logo is made, because design is a process that must be understood within the context of client guidelines, opinions, restrictions, and more. This basically boils down the idea that design can’t be judged in a vacuum — context is critical to any design. This is an idea that has already been written about by our friends at Proof Branding and Redpepper, so I recommend you read their takes on the new logo here and here, respectively.
Back to hubris.
If you’ve been following the issue, you know that one of the most quoted statements made by Chris Butler, the lead detractor, is that “This is something a fifth-grader could easily produce on his or her computer at home.” Interestingly enough, this is the similar response someone might have when seeing a Jackson Pollock painting for the first time. However there’s a harsh reality to both of these situations — no, a fifth grader could not create this.
Like Pollock, who devoted his life to creating beautiful art, the creative directors at GS&F have devoted their careers to creating powerful and appropriate branding materials for organizations. And they are good at it — a quick look at their client list proves this fact.
As a person who was not part of the creative brief or experienced in design, declaring that you, or a “fifth grader,” could create something more appropriate to the TN State brand is like saying, “I could be an NFL quarterback” without ever having played a game of football in your life. It’s easy to think you’re capable of something without ever having experienced it yourself.
But this idea is a problem much bigger than the TN State logo. It’s a problem that’s created by an easily accessible knowledge base known as the internet and microphones called social media. We’re collectively a society that knows enough about everything that we can question experts about anything. We’re quick to declare our distaste for design because we regularly read Fast Company articles.
We’re living in a culture where it’s increasingly difficult to be respected as an expert in your field because everyone considers themselves an expert in your field.
As a society, we find ourselves in an intellectual boxing match between the trained expert and the detractor with a big microphone. The winner is often decided by who takes the first swing, not by his level of skill.
The adage “everyone’s a critic” has always been true, but never before in human history have the uneducated critics been given a platform from which to speak on such a large scale. This truth, good or bad, places a new responsibility on society as a whole — we’re responsible for determining who’s worthy of our attention.
Personally, I’m confident that GS&F created a better logo than anyone else in their position could have created. Not because I like it (although, I do), but because they are really really good at what they do. They are experts at the top of their field and I wouldn’t want anyone else creating the visual identity for my state.
