[Sigia-l] Re: Putting the "Graphic" back with "Designer" (was:the lesser importance of home pages)

[Peter Boersma]

Listera wrote:
> Where does "graphic" design stop and "interface" design begin? Where
> does "interface" design stop and "interaction" design begin? Where does
> "interaction" design stop and "experience" design begin? And so on.

Where they begin can be determined; it's at a specialisms core values.
Where they end depends on how much a designer specializes. Generalists can
get away with maintaining fuzzy definitions, specialists have to define the
borders of their abilities.

> Problems in real life do not conveniently segment themselves into
> neatly designated compartments. Clients don't look for disjointed
> partial deliverables, they want solutions.

That's why I like working in a team setting, with team members who
specialize in neatly designated compartments. Depending on the focus of a
meeting, one of them takes the lead in presenting the facets of the solution
at hand.

> Once you see Design as
> problem solving, with many facets as opposed to specific deliverables,
> roles/titles fall into place naturally.

So you do acknowledge that roles/titles naturally map to facets of problem
solving? If that is the case then we're not in disagreement as I thought!

> By artificially narrowing one's focus to solve ever smaller problems,
> professionals can specialize themselves out of a job, as well as the
> ability to make a significant difference.

No-one said we had to keep specializing... What if we stop narrowing our
focus at some point? What if I choose to call myself an Information
Architect instead of a Designer and focus on structural organization,
navigation, and labeling? What if I want to call myself a Graphic Designer
and focus on spatial layout, the use of color, fonts, alignment, size,
etcetera.
> Here, AIGA appears to have taken a leadership position. They are not
> only concerned about the current market (and silly job reqs) but about
> the future of Design, its ability to shape solutions for services,
> products and experiences in a strategic and leadership position.

If it is true that AIGA now cares for design strategists, who will care for
the Graphic Designers? If AIGA wants to start competing with, say, DMI
(Design Management Institute) that's fine, but then they should also
re-imburse the graphic designers that do not feel the urge to become
hand-waving, future-looking strategists and "leaders".

Peter
-- 
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