What kind of designer are you? What kind of style do you have? What is your favorite type of design? What kind of process do you use? These are just a few of the ongoing questions that seem to follow designers wherever we go. My answer to these questions: Do I have to be one type of designer? I don’t have a style per say, I adapt my techniques and strategy to the needs of the client. I love all types of design, so I don’t play favorites. And my process? Well, I can’t reveal all of my secrets, now can I?
Recently, I found a blog post that describes ten personality types that supposedly characterize Graphic Designers. Do I agree with all of them? No. Do I find truth in pieces of these? Yep.
Truth 1) “All graphic designers are unalike.” Agreed. We aren’t all the same. In fact, twenty designers can learn the same methods, be taught by the same people and they will turn out different. Truth 2) “Every graphic designer tackles clients in a different way.” Agreed. Some designers sell strategy to their clients, others sell the look, what’s more important tends to vary amongst different types of designers. Truth 3) I don’t fit neatly into any one of these personality types.
So what kind of designer am I?
I used to be the type that just cared about the looks of a design. Since I started working at Stokefire, I’ve come to appreciate what’s really beneath the surface of the design. Now, I favor the concepting stage over the technical stage. I’m the type of designer that focuses on the message being portrayed before I worry about what it looks like. I will always pick up a pencil and paper before testing my fate with the computer. I can work quickly and get through a project before the deadline, while still paying close attention to detail. I can withstand long hours of design time without breaks, simply because I love doing it. And most of all, I’m the type of designer that loves a challenge and is willing to take a leap when testing new ideas and new techniques.
What kind of designer are you?
Kaitlyn, great post. I think as designers, as artists it’s impossible to fit any of us in any kind of set box or personality. The nature of our business requires us to adjust and change. Now, I’m not saying some of us have not developed a signature style or prefer to work in a particular area of design, but even those individuals would have to say they have had to make some changes from when they started as a designer to the point they are at now.
What kind of designer am I? I have to say I also really enjoy the conceptualizing and development part of design projects. I like finding out the who’s, what’s, when and where’s of a company before I start designing. Rather then just designing a logo for a company because that’s what they want (just a logo nothing else). I want to design much more then just a logo, I want to help develop their brand and brand identity. So that when the logo is designed it has some weight to it and it has much more meaning.