"I'll design it myself."

Many times I am approached by people who need design quickly. After I explain my creative process and the steps required to have a successful design outcome for their need, it seems that a lot of times, people who are not serious or think that their project is "small" or "easy" will choose to move along. Those who consider design as something that anyone can do because we all have access to software are the ones who believe that a design job is just as simple as doing your laundry or washing dishes. What these people fail to recognize is that the process to reach an outcome is just as important as the final product. Most of the time I get a response that entails "I'll design it myself".

What most people fail to recognize is that a process is put in place for a reason, because it garners successful outcomes. Throwing something up on the screen and making it look attractive isn't always the best solution, especially when it doesn't meet the goal of that specific project.

For those who believe they can "design it themselves" - I urge you to try and design for a living and see how far you can get until you realize there is a lot to learn about color theory, grids, ratios, widths, heights, fair-use, textures, resolutions, color process, scalability, usage, etc. The same people who constantly approach me needing a "quick and easy design" are the same ones who fail to recognize the value of design, the price of good design and dismiss these as a thought that "anyone can do it".

To me, this is a dangerous mindset within the design industry because the more access that people have to software and create half-hearted and thoughtless design, the more this industry becomes diluted. So instead of sweeping this issue under the rug, I am calling out everyone who believes design is something anyone can do and anyone who has access to a free app can design something just as good as those who do it for a legitimate living.

And thus, designers become frustrated and a bit cynical because we are approached by people like this all the time. It's an ongoing struggle to say "No" to those who do not value or understand our process and when we try to educate and explain the importance, they don't listen.

Part of the success of designing is being able to listen and listen well. You must hear what people are saying and translate that into a visual product. But, part of this challenge is working with people who are also willing to listen to the designer just as  well. A lot of times, a design doesn't suffer because of the lack of ability of a designer, but because a client believes that what they want is exactly what is needed and a designer is a means to an end for a financial bottom line.

So, what is my solution? I urge designers everywhere to recognize and flush out potential clients who do not value design, the importance of visual communication and the ability to follow a process as early as possible. The way to recognize these things might be different for each designer. For me, it entails automating the details of the project and finding out as much information as possible from the potential client before any real meeting or discussion begins. This is usually referred to as Creative Analysis or Client Brief. Most of the times, this process scares off most people who are not serious about good design because they do not want to commit to thinking critically about their project, they just want something great as soon as possible without acknowledging that good design comes for a price.

No design is simple and easy. Nothing is a small job when the right process is put in place to discover how to make something function and communicate the way it needs to. If I am the only person who believes this process and way of thinking, then maybe I'll just keep designing it myself...