Let’s look at an analogy of what flash really is. Just imagine if you could not pick up books and read them unless you also had a special pair of glasses. I know some people always have to wear glasses. But this special pair of glasses would still be necessary on top of their usual ones. And everybody in the world who opened a book without these special glasses would only see the message “this book cannot be read without special glasses. Get your pair free today!” Of course everyone would find this annoying. And a lot of people would go out and get their special glasses. And once in a while, the glasses would stop working until you got a new pair, so there was a constant going back to get a new pair of glasses or else you would not be able to read any books. But thankfully, someone was so annoyed with this whole process that they designed books that could be read without special glasses. Of course the books would not look just like the ones you were used to. Maybe they all the page borders didn’t have animated stuff going on (which you found really distracting anyway). But overall, you found it so nice to not have to use special glasses to read them, you would start reading those books instead of the old ones.”

via 6webdesign.com

Designers have penchant for all things with textures, embellishments, 3-D characteristics, as well as over-emphasized and generated effects — this is where design is currently hovering. It is heavy on the visible layer of design and that is the intention. This approach is limiting because it places focus on getting attention for the design itself, rather than designing for purpose.”

Great article via www.getfinch.com Read more

We have this ability because we are communicators. We know the tricks to attract the masses. We know what’s effective. We have a sense that we develop to be able to distinguish what is and what isn’t engaging. If we aren’t able to do that, then graphic designers we are not.

We create emotion

So why isn’t it done more often? Why is it that so much of the work we see is flat, emotionless shells of style?

Often what we see is boring. It’s a style wrapped in a technique, with barely a seed of an idea. The client—or the designer—doesn’t understand what they’re trying to communicate, they just know that they need to be communicating something.

Forget how good something looks. Aesthetics come second. They’re 80% of our game, but the remaining 20% holds more importance. If there isn’t an idea, if there isn’t a trigger for an emotional change, then it doesn’t matter how aesthetically pleasing a piece of work is — it’s ultimately worthless. When the winds of style pull in another direction, the piece will become more than ugly — it’ll become useless.

Before you think of the style your next piece of work will be in, before you sit to sketch your thumbnails, ask yourself what is the reaction I want them to have when they see this?

From this discovered emotion will come the concept, from which the aesthetics will grow. It’s a simple fact, one you may not want to admit to yourself, but if what you’re designing is emotionally boring, then no one will care in a meaningful way. If they’re not engaged and feeling something—anything then you haven’t done your job as a communicator.”

Via Retina Art