Rationality is not Antithetical to Artistry
AS CREATIVES, we often mistakenly place aesthetics above rationale— a practice that is far too prevalent in this digital age of design.
We become consumed by the how to execute a concept while overlooking the reasoning behind said concept. Our 140 character, get the client to sign off quickly, impress our peers dribbblin’ design community has placed a disproportionate emphasis on software mastery. Somewhere along the line, finely detailed pixel renderings became fundamental. But what happened to logic and assertion? Is how really more important that why?
I want everything we do to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether… it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life.
Saul Bass once said, I want everything we do to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that that’s worth anything, or that the client thinks it’s worth anything, or whether it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life. I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.
As a fellow designer, I wholly empathize with this statement. I want to both please myself and have my creations interpreted as something admirable. Self gratification and acceptance are integral parts of human nature.
In another quote, he states, Design is thinking made visual.
On the surface, both statements read as conflicting but I speculate they are not. Yes, on the one hand, regardless of all else, Bass declares his interpretation of artistry eclipses all else while, on the other, design is the illustration of consideration. When combined, you begin to recognize these two beliefs require the existence of the other forming a symbiotic relationship. Rationale, when thoroughly explored, will ultimately inform the design decisions you make. Those decisions will be realized with your subjective creative execution.
Design is thinking made visual.
In this 1969 Saul Bass produced video presentation, outlining re-branding the communications company for a new generation, we get a rare glimpse at the depths of his nuanced conclusions— each supported by both deduction and conception.
Design, whether it is a piece of furniture or a website, should be visceral and pleasing to the eye. This is an undisputed fact, I would hope. But it should also be supported by reasoning and rationale. Both the motive and the manner must be evident in order to be effective.
This post was originally published on erikford.me and is only presented here for demonstration purposes.