I had the pleasure of meeting an owner of a local IT business at a Power Circle networking meeting last Thursday. We quickly became side-tracked from the activity we were supposed to be participating in and found ourselves discussing the purpose of design in his company. In our brief conversation, it was apparent to me that they would be a perfect Lab Rat for the Researching Bridges project.
In essence, they had the same view of design that many IT professionals do. Though they didn’t exactly say that design’s only purpose was to make things look pretty, there was an obvious discrepancy in exactly what the purpose of design is and how important it is within the business process. The line between “graphic art” and “graphic design” was seemingly blurred to the extent that there was no difference between the two. As I explained what it is that I do (design strategy), they asked if I still provided any “graphic arts” services, such as logos. They also said that in a recent conversation regarding the consistent use of colors and appearance of their business collateral (business cards, brochures, etc.), they had wondered if it really mattered all that much.
Though it is incredibly frustrating to be so completely misunderstood, I only blame the design community for allowing so many misconceptions to thrive for so long. As designers, we have plenty of work to do in educating our clients, potential clients, bosses, and other business people. I am so very excited for my interview with them tomorrow that I could not wait to share some of the insights that I have already gained. Since they expressed a mindset that has become overwhelmingly typical for local Indianapolis business people, and even those nationally or internationally, I am absolutely floored about learning exactly what it is that needs to be communicated to them to better understand the Value of Design.