Comments on: Design Week Insights

By: Design Currency: Icograda Design Week in Vancouver 2010 | The Design°

Design Currency: Icograda Design Week in Vancouver 2010 | The Design° — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:31:20 +0000

[...] alums. Isabelle is the Creative Director of her own studio, Seven 25, and you should also check out her blog as [...]

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:03:06 +0000

Thanks Davin. I agree. Now that it’s been a few weeks I can definitely spot the speakers that had the most impact on my own thinking but it was a worthwhile experience even for the sheer variety of viewpoints. Ah, broadening one’s horizons . . .

By: Davin Greenwell

Davin Greenwell — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:51:31 +0000

Isabelle,

I too like the idea of a lot of these ideas co-existing between the different speakers, especially because they were pretty diverse and all seemed “right” in their own ways. Nice recap!

By: Is Creativity Really Like Pornography? // Processed Identity: Sharing How You Got There / The Creative Process of Identity and Logo Design

Wed, 12 May 2010 12:57:39 +0000

[...] recent post by Isabelle Swiderski on the Seven25 blog Design Influence spoke about designers courting the mystery of [...]

By: Steve Zelle

Steve Zelle — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:12:04 +0000

Agreed. In selling graphic design, it can feel like we are trying to fit a circle into a square hole to appeal to business. I am always happy to talk about the unpredictable nature of creativity with colleagues, and I still get ‘wowed’ when I experience the magic firsthand, but clients rarely want to hear about it. Am I going about it the wrong way? How do you go about explaining this so it is of value to your clients? How do similar disciplines, such as writers, that have both business goals and creativity, market themselves to their clients?

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:17:49 +0000

Thanks Steve. I agree that the creative magic can’t be the only selling point but I believe denying its existence might be doing us a disservice.

By: Steve Zelle

Steve Zelle — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:21:25 +0000

Thanks for the recap of Design Week Isabelle,

Gaining insight from others regarding how they think about creativity is always stimulating. I am equally interested in the creative process — the tangible part that can be defined, borrowed and reproduced. It is however, the intangible that occurs within this framework that is at least as important, the most difficult to explain, the most troubling to attach a value to, and the part that requires core talent and ability.

I hope I am wrong but I can’t imagine a time when clients will engage (my) services solely by selling them on the ‘creative magic’.

Great post and discussion.

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:13:56 +0000

Thanks for that ladies. I agree very much that we need to embrace the side of our skill set that doesn’t necessarily fit in the design processes we’ve developed but complements them. I should clarify that I firmly believe design has value for business and should concern itself with functionality and results. However, this shouldn’t be equated to denying that one of the components that makes us successful as creatives is one that can’t be quantified or perhaps even taught. It comes with time and with embracing the things that make us passionate personally.

Casey, I love your complementary post, continuing the discussion: http://blog.herrainco.ca/?p=322

By: Nancy Wu

Nancy Wu — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:15:10 +0000

And to add to your thoughts Casey, when we’re ALL seen as alchemists…. Alas, not all designers operate, deliver or think alike so it’s an uphill climb, when creative, strategic-thinking designers are still referred to as “graphic artists” or “artsy fartsy” types. Hardly what many of us do, as it seems to be a mystery to the mass public. Thank you too for the great insights and sharing Isabelle, as always.

By: Casey Hrynkow

Casey Hrynkow — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:33:14 +0000

Thank you for this lovely snapshot, Isabelle. I, too, have been wondering about bringing back the voodoo and eschewing the constant scrabbling to be defined and understood as “strategic” business people. Over many years of many people trying, we appear to be lowering ourselves to a level we find counterproductive. We can still think as we do and solve problems as we do, but perhaps we need to veil it in the magic and puffs of smoke that the business world imagines us to control and leave it at that.

I think when we were seen as alchemists, we were more respected and better paid.