The delicate task of design

I’ve been reading “Do Good Design” by David B. Berman. It’s a short book, a mere 100 pages or so and has lots of examples of design that Mr Berman believes, could be done better. I don’t mean better in the sense of adhering to the principles of graphic design better, better as in better for the world, for the global conscience. I haven’t gotten very far in the book yet but one particular article has already struck a chord; graphic designers in the sex industry.

In my last post about design irresponsibility and the Australian Sexpo Exhibition I posted a re-design of the Feb 2008 playboy magazine cover. I tried to make the point that designers with a little flair of creativity can promote these sorts of magazines with messages that bypass the young mind of a child whilst speaking loud and clear (as well as boosting sales) for the pornography moguls. I was so caught up in graphics that I didn’t even pause to think whether the peddling of pornography by a graphic designer is ‘right’. Mr Berman raises the issue only briefly but it’s one that none the less, needs to be discussed. When is it ‘wrong’ for a graphic designer to peddle a product or service that might not be considered morally just or perhaps be having a negative effect on society?

Neither I nor David Berman are the first to put the idea out there I’m sure. Yes, there’s sex, lies and violence in today’s world and yes, they are commodities. That’s simply a fact. The question is, are graphic designers who agree to work on the design of advertorial material for these industries lesser designers than those who work for not-for-profit or education sectors? Are they contributing to the ever-decreasing age of sex and drug related criminals? Would the world be a better place if designers kept their crafty fingers and creative ideas from these filthy industries?

In tossing these questions around in my mind, I found them difficult to answer. Graphic design in the sex industry for example seems so formulaic so maybe those designers aren’t as talented as others; or is the work they produce just what the client demands because it worked last time? Perhaps the explicitly violent posters for movies starring the likes of gangster role models 50 (or is it fitty) cent and Eminem are indirectly getting guns in the hands of minors sooner. Would the world be a better place if designers weren’t in these industries? I’m not so sure.

The reality is that graphic designers are skilled communicators, we’re experts in type, colour, layout and more deeply than that, we understand the human psychology behind these elements in triggering and re-triggering an emotional response. What do you think you would be exposed to if graphic designers did not play a part in the images we see?

It’s true, there are some designers out there who don’t seem to have a moral conscience. And if the price is high enough we can all convince ourselves that we’ll do a good, clean job. But on the whole I refuse to believe that a trained, professional designer consciously chooses to promote sex and violence recklessly, just for the sake of it.

If graphic designers across the globe one day got together and decided, “We’re finished! We will no longer be the person who creates the graphics for these industries! Everyone says it’s our fault that kids are getting pregnant at the age when they experience their first  period and the local high-school kids are too afraid to go back to school in case Jimmy shows up with a semi-automatic.” – not only would their be a spike in homelessness from all the designers no longer being able to afford their rent but I dare suggest that incidence of violence and teen pregnancy would increase. My point being that putting the delicate task of design in to the hands of the un-trained is more dangerous. Yes, it’s comparative, subjective and down-right speculative to suggest it. If we took the scenario out of the design world and say, in to the world of home maintenance, one could broaden the argument and question whether or not you would be happy to pay a much smaller fee to get an untrained person to wire your house – lights, appliances, ceiling fans, everything, instead of engaging the skills of a licensed, professional electrician.

Graphic designers need to work in all industries, from the morally reprehensible to the good, socially beneficial. Without these people, or should I say “us”, surely the alternative, which is almost unimaginable to me, would be worse. What I’m trying to say is that designers are simply the licensed tradesmen of communication. What I love about design is that we’re needed in every industry – one would imagine this to mean that design is a flourishing industry where once you’ve got your qualifications you’ll never go hungry again because there’s just so much work but alas, it’s a different story and one better elaborated on in a different article.

The powers which graphic designers have are indeed often under-estimated; by the clients as well as the designers themselves. I believe the designer needs to have the self-confidence to get behind their own ideas, throw some creative solutions at their clients and don’t be afraid to explore options beyond the formula. Next time you design a poster with 50 cent holding a gun and someone critcises you for spreading the message that violence is ok, perhaps argue that industrial designers are to blame. If guns weren’t so instinctive to hold, so easy to operate, perhaps only it’s target demographic would use them leaving the hands of children and teens clutching lollipops and ice-cream cones instead.