This is Part 2 of a series of posts exploring the connection between design and life from a Christian perspective. The bold headline references in this post refer to the symbolic journey of Israel described in the Scriptures and summarized in Part 1. Rather than explain each segment of the journey in design, I thought it might be more helpful to hear what a designer would be saying to him or her self depending on where they were in the journey. You can substitute design for your profession.

SLAVES IN EGYPT
I just don’t know what to do with my life. I’m really a creative, but am stuck in this IT job and am miserable. I feel like a slave to my company. I’m doing their bidding and building their empire.

CROSSING THE RED SEA
I’ve found my calling. I want to be a graphic designer. I want to connect my passion with my work with me. Design is what really excites and interests me. I’ve quit my job and am going back to school.

IN THE WILDERNESS UNDER THE LAW
School was a bit of a drag, but now that I’m out in the real world, design is certainly going to better. I’ve landed a nice spot at an advertising agency as a junior designer. They’ve got an A list of clients. Can’t wait to show them my stuff.

Forty years of wandering in the design desert later&...... Keep reading

I hope you’ll let me tell you a story today–one whose meaning has largely been hidden from us but is now coming into focus. It’s an important story that contains profound insight into the heart and soul of design.

LIVING IN EGYPT
Let’s start with the Jewish people who are living in and enslaved by the Egyptians. You may remember that the nation of Israel found themselves in Egypt after Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (also called Israel) migrated to Egypt during a time of famine. Jacob’s long lost son, Joseph, ruled over Egypt through some amazing circumstances at the time of the famine. Joseph’s family and brothers settled in Egypt and numbered in the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) by the time Moses came along to deliver them. There’s a lot of important detail during the Jews’ time in Israel, but it’s important to know that they were basically slaves by the end of their time in Egypt. The Pharaoh was concerned with their growing population and influence, so he made it very difficult for them. I think that despite being slaves, the communal life of the Jewish people at this time must have been rich. You’re probably familiar with the plagues, their deliverance from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea in supernatural fashion and heading for the Promised Land.

WANDERING THE WILDERNESS
But before they could get to the promised land, they had to travel throug...... Keep reading

Warning: Vague concepts approaching. Those whose hearts favor more concrete design observations may be at risk of losing their sanity reading this post. Proceed with caution.

Defining the Design Matrix is a bit like peeling an onion. You start by removing the visible outer layers, progressing deeper and deeper into the core of the onion until at last, there is no onion left to peel. At this point you might conclude there was actually no onion at all, but your watery eyes and discarded layers speak otherwise. So it is with understanding the Design Matrix we currently create within. After we’re done peeling, I hope you’re not left empty handed (or empty headed for that matter). Let’s begin.

You don’t need to be Steven Heller to spot the outer layer of the Design Matrix. The outer layer is visible everywhere. It consists of these well worn concepts: design versus art, business, corporate, mediocrity, do-it-yourselfers, low-ballers, the uneducated, the system, etc. It is design versus whatever is out there separate from design. This outermost Design Matrix layer is embodied in SpeakUp, Brand New, HOW, Print and a host of other avatars. The key to identifying this outermost layer is that design is a...... Keep reading

Creator: I imagine that right now you’re feeling a bit like Alice. Tumbling down the rabbit hole?

Designer: You could say that.

Creator: I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he’s expecting to wake up. Ironically, this is not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Designer?
Designer: No.

Creator: Why not?

Designer: ‘Cause I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my design.

Creator: I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know, you can’t explain. But you feel it. You felt it your entire life. That there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there. Like a splinter in your mind — driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Designer: The Design Matrix?

Creator: Do you want to know what it is?

(Designer nods his head.)

Keep reading

I knew I’d have to come out of the closet some day. I guess now is as good a time as any. Some of you will be shocked, others will not care and many will not have a clue why I’m even writing this post. But I think it’s important you understand why I write from the perspective I do, and why B L A N K has a different tone than most blogs, Christian or otherwise. Understand, not everyone who writes articles for B L A N K shares my view. That’s good. Uniformity is boring, and it plagues design, especially “Christian” design. Nonetheless, you ought to know where I’m coming from. So, without further adue, here’s my design theses nailed to the door of my heart:

1. I am a Christian. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Fill in the blank with all the answers you feel are necessary to define what that is doctrinally, experientially, or whatever. Both good and bad. I probably fit most of them anyway.

2. I design and get paid for it. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Fill in the blank with the answers you feel qualify someone to be a designer, both high and low. I’ve no formal design training, so if that is a criteria on your list, you can scratch what I said about being a designer.

3. As a Christian and a designer, each have a profound influence on the other. One is who I am, the other is what I do. Who I am as a Christian infiltrates all I do in design. What I do in design gives me a greater understanding of wh...... Keep reading

Why is the design field so curiously self-obsessive?

From AIGA‘s Communique newsletter:

Promoting a new standard definition for “designer”
AIGA testified this month before the commission on redefining the standard occupational classifications for “designer” used by the U.S. government in its economic research. This is another step in an effort that AIGA has pursued consistently for ten years. The occupational classification for designer is at least two decades old and captures the functions of a designer prior to the introduction of the Macintosh and securely anchored in the realm of commercial artist.

Stated definition: “Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.” (Last updated in 2003).

Again from AIGA:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s contractor for the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), the government’s database on occupational characteristics, is conducting a survey to gain a sense of the relevance of the current definition. The survey will be sent to 80 opinion leaders within t...... Keep reading