"What's Typography?"
Have you ever tried to explain what typography is to someone who has no knowledge of Graphic Design? Have you ever felt the burning anger brew in the pit of your stomach as some ignorant fool tries to understand your definition but you know they have no clue what you’re talking about? You try to explain the need for people like us, who understand how to effectively communicate though type, but people don’t understand. They think typefaces are irrelevant and it doesn’t matter.
How do you deal with these people? How do you explain what you’re doing in Typography 3 class to your business major cousin at a family get-together? Do common people (aka anyone who’s not a graphic designer) need to know that choosing Comic Sans is a terrible typographic sin? Do they need to be told that 16 pt. Papyrus is NOT an acceptable choice for their customised emails? Do “commoners” need to know what good typography is, or should we let them be ignorant and just enjoy our pretty pictures and words?
posted by Christina Fredricks @ 4:47 PM
8 Comments:
A designer explaining the fine nuances of typography is similar to a tailor trying to explain pintucks and box pleats. I suppose it doesnt really matter unless you have the curiosity to know it. I dont know where we get off thinking that what we do is actually important. Its not. We are not nessecary. We are supplementary. We make things look good. We are like makeup.
Perhaps I am just in a fatalistic mood today, but explaining typography to someone who isn't really interested in understanding it, is about as relevant as horoscopes. As long as you, the designer, understands it to the best of your ability, thats all that matters, after all, you are suppose to be the expert.
If someone asks me to describe what I do in this class, I use a lot of abstract verbal flourish, big words that are sure to confuse whomever is asking. They either nod and pretend to have understood what I just said, or they just let it lie. Im fine with it either way.
i agree that it would be difficult to explain, but, to be honest, they are the ones who we are trying to sell to, be it magazines, logos, etc., so if they like something, like papyrus or comic sans, we should recognize that. just like when my teachers tell me to not use gradients....gradients look nice, and i think that the average person would agree. when you first started using adobe illustrator, you thought gradients were cool, until your "teacher" told you not to use them cuz they are corny. I guess what i am trying to say is "the customer is always right".
I would have to say that it truly depends on who you are working with. Often times, people want to hear what you have to say because you are the professional with the education and experience. However, I'm sure there will always be that one ignorant person that loves to wallow in their own...pond. When you come across this person, leave them in their own ineptitude and head the other way.
I believe the only need to know about typography, relies on the fact that you want to know. If you feel like you need a justification behind what you do (which every graphic designer should), then you'll find a meaning behind what you do. When I justify my work is the only time I explain typography. I'll let my "client" know why I used a type face, so it is easier to explain why they shouldn't change a "researched" choice. Never try to educate someone who wants to stay ignorant, it only creates conflict.
Comming from a different perspective, I was once the business major who didn't know much about typography. I'd say that most of the "commoners" don't care too much about good type vs. bad type, but more about what they like or not. And for the purposes that they are serving I am sure that their typography is not going to hurt anything. We have had training on this topic thus making us experts, or so we think, in this field. It is our job to know type as is busienssmen to know about how to run a company. If Papyrus or comic sans makes the average person happy let them use it.
As a designer it is necessary for us to know what is going on as far as typography is concerned. However, trying to make a sixty year old woman who can't read anything smaller than 14pt times new roman understand that it is not necessary for everything in the world to be that big is useless. Ignorance is bliss and they think that we make everything look pretty even if "common" people do not know the information and decisions that go behind it. If a client is making a drastically wrong decision about something, then it is our duty to try to explain why they should trust us and not do what they think is 'necessary'. We know what we are doing and as long as no one is truly getting in our way I don't see the point in trying to make everyone know everything otherwise what would they need us, as designers, for.
I love people that don’t know or care to know any thing about Graphic Design or more specially Typography. Seriously. The less people know about visually conveying ideas, be it graphically or typographically or any other way, the better it is for us as Graphic Designers. If everyone had a vast knowledge of conveying ideas through graphics or typography, no one would pay us to do it. What bugs the shit out of me is: people who think Graphic Designers are merely an extension of Adobe Systems Incorporated. And all you have to do to become a Graphic Designer is pick up a copy of Creative Suite, a technical manual and, blam - you’re a Graphic Designer. To a certain extent that could be partially true. In the past, it took an army of professionals to create graphic material. Now, a Graphic Designer wears so many hats and does many different jobs. In the words of Art Chantry:
“I used to rely upon a score of craftsmen and artists to complete my tasks - typesetters, copywriters, illustrators, proofreaders, editors, photographers, darkroom strippers, pre-production, press operators, paper experts, salesmen, etc. etc. One by one all of this expertise has been eliminated (500+ years of skill) and suddenly dropped into MY lap.”
This hostile takeover by technology and elimination of expertise in the field has perpetuated this myth that to become a Graphic Designer, you just need to be good on the computer. But in my mind there are two types of people in our industry. A Graphic Designer and a Graphic Technician. When using the term Graphic Technician, I mean someone who is well versed in graphic software. Someone who is a pixel surgeon, a high tech window dresser, a make up artist, I equate Graphic Technicians to computer factory workers. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, you still are able to create graphically and it’s a job in the field. But the Graphic Technicians lack the sophistication of the Graphic Designe4r. A true Graphic Designer is conceptual. They use wit, creative innovation and make ideas and connections; they base designs on extensive academic, real world and industry experience. This thought reminds me of Kevin Roberts’s equation for lovemarks. Basically, the concept is, Saatchi and Saatchi doesn’t sell advertising campaigns, they sell ideas. A true Graphic Designer creates and sells ideas. All media we create is only a system of delivery of our ideas. A poster, layout, brochure, et cetera is merely a means to convey our or the clients ideas. Graphic Designer’s talents will not be replicated by buying a copy of creative suite 3. Sorry, that’s kinda a tangent. I was trying to keep my brain from wandering but there it goes. Oh well. My point is this: I love people who don’t have any knowledge on the subject of visual communication or the tools we use. I would much rather deal with this type of client. As far as explaining what I do to a non-client who has no knowledge of design, I usually focus on the business aspects of our profession. It could be worse, imagine trying to explain what you did if you studied – say, pottery.
I have not read the other posts, that being said; we all have been in school for some time now and we are constantly learning more and more about that which we study. At some point, we as designer/design students, need to learn how to communicate all of these things we have learned to the "common people," so that they can understand what good design is without sending them to school for 6 years. Probably not that extreme, but through our own design skills and knowledge we need to be able explain and show, what good design is.
Post a Comment
<< Home