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Design Chemistry
August 27 2012
August 27 2012
We don't talk about it much, but even those of us who adore our spouses are sometimes moved by the look of someone on the street, in a cafe or working in the wine department of Trader Joes (too specific?) Scientists say everything from our immune systems to our parental status can play a role in attraction. But there is a certain amount of voodoo involved as well—in my no-so-expert opinion. Something we can't exactly explain. After a few years of dating we can predict certain elements will attract us (smile lines and Urban Outfitter plaid shirts, say) but there are moments when a wildly different combination makes our hearts speed up a little.
Images, fonts and colors have the same sort of unpredictable energy that happens between them. Or sometimes designers think a layout is going to have chemistry and instead it makes us yawn. All the pieces in a layout can play nicely together but as a whole make nothing special. Trying to inject a little chemistry into a design can be an arduous task, involving hours of trial and error. And then there are times when a mistake will lead you to an explosive combination in the first few minutes of a project. After more than a decade of designing everything from street pamphlets to smart phone apps, I know that certain combinations are going to add a little spark to a design. But on so many projects, I'm still surprised by what I didn't see coming. And I'm glad there is a mystical side to design even if it tortures me.
Here is what I think we should keep in mind:
1. Designers can't work in a vacuum. We push each other to make something that is better than "nice" and I find that looking at other good designs inevitably inspires me to improve my own.
2. We can't bail too early, which I understand is tough when you're on a budget. There are moments when getting a decent design finished is more important than holding out for a brilliant one. But we should hold out for billiant or adventurous or new as much as possible. I can think of only a few instances in my career when a client asked for revisions (even dumb revisions) that going back to look it over (while ignoring said dumb revisions) didn't lead to a better design. There are exceptions, of course, which include designs done after midnight, after Grey's Anatomy or after 3 glasses of wine.
3. Clients can't treat design like fast food and expect good results ("I like it but can we get rid of all that white space, change the blue to purple and put a picture of me where that tree is?") We all fare much better when clients can express what they are hoping to achieve ("I'm afraid visitors are going to have to scroll too much") rather than making design suggestions. Nothing will kill design chemistry like swapping.
4. One must have fun to create fun. This is what I tell my boss, anyway. Lattes, movies, red wine and shopping all significantly improve my designs.
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—Loren Harper
Assistant to the Director, HaMoreh Ministries