Our Industry is broken. We need a rebrand!We’ve been researching the state of the design industry through talking to design business owners across the country. We’ve come to the conclusion we need to rebrand our industry!
As visual designers our craft is as old as humanity.
Humans process visuals (designs) in a series of activations in the brain. Within 100 milliseconds after seeing an image, the amygdala (a part of your brain that processes emotions) is activated, followed by areas that help you understand what you’re seeing (occipital lobes). Less than a second later, your prefrontal cortex starts making decisions.
The visual triggers in the design helps the viewer make a decision within in a few hundred milliseconds.
This is why design has such a strong impact on decision making; it’s ability to change behaviours; make an impact.
What’s more our brain processes visual information so quickly that it influences the thinking that follows.
This is what gives design impact. Unfortunately we have failed to impress this on clients. That’s why we need a rebrand; a rethink of our industry.
Good design comes from basic design principles that help our brains understand visual information quickly. These principles include balance, contrast, emphasis, hierarchy, movement, pattern, proportion, repetition, rhythm, unity, variety, and white space. Each one can work on its own, but when combined, they create a visual experience that is easy to understand and engaging. Additionally, Gestalt principles of design, like closure, continuity, organization, perception, proximity, similarity, and symmetry, are based on how our brains naturally see patterns and structures, helping us interpret what we see more effectively.
Experienced designers know this and apply it intuitively. And there’s the rub. It’s so intuitive it’s invisible to the client.
We need to change this.
We (the design industry) need to take a step back and move from the art of design to the impact of design. We need to interpret our intuitive application of design and show how it impacts humanity.
The DBC has developed a roadmap for designers wanting to rebrand their services.
Want to know more, contact Greg Branson
Contact me if you would like to learn more about defining your impact.
Design Business Council : business advice for creatives.
We help designers build better, stronger, more sustainable businesses.
Design Business Review is Australia’s only online design management magazine. It’s professional development information written specifically for Australian designers by Australian designers. Best of all, it’s free.
Greg Branson
Greg’s passion is the research and development of methods that improve design management and the role of design in business.
Greg and Carol developed the Design Business Council as a management school for design leaders. Contact Greg to learn more about developing your skills as a manager.
