Observations

Okay, I decided to youtube SXSW videos because frankly, I wish I had been there. When I came across this video, I was introduced to a topic that I was not familiar with.

Having been a Graphic Design major for almost three years before switching to Photography and Media Informatics, I have an opinion on this.

A "mom and pop" shop (as it is mentioned) can't always afford the price of what these people would call "professional" designers. Spec work is a service to small companies and designers that want to get their foot in the door. Amateurs always have to start out somewhere, and just because some "professionals" are getting miffed that newbies are stepping foot on their turf is no reason to disown those that use the services.

Like I said, I don't have a whole lot of knowledge on this topic, but I find this discussion to be a bit uneasy. I mean, Graphic Design (and design in general, really) is already a hell of a competitive field, and I know people that go into it because they believe they actually have original talent to offer and that it will be easy money for them. Fools.

I want to create web sites and take pictures for a living, and while I am absolutely sure I will be able to find some sort of job, I'm not daft enough to believe my ideas are original. And frankly, I don't give a damn. If my ideas are used in a way that WORKS and that get the information my client (or myself) has to offer across in the EASIEST and most APPEALING way, then I have done my job and I have done it well. A simple color scheme and a clean design. The content is more important than the design, so that is all you need.

Not even that, I mean, if the client has a product or set of information that is enticing, a design isn't needed at all. At that point, simple, basic, HTML tags will get the job done with a couple of headers, body text, with black text on a white background will sell an item.

That is why this job is competitive. That is why it is hard. Because anyone willing to learn the basics can -eventually- do it. For goodness sake, the vast majority of the classes I've taken have simply been about how to use different programs in the most effective way.

I can now work the hell out of Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Frontpage, Flash (as far as websites, not animation, goes), and most of InDesign, but that doesn't mean I have the stamina to be a Graphic Designer.

And for the record, I opted out of graphic design for the following reasons:

1- I had personal issues with a couple of the professors. I cannot learn from someone I don't respect

2- I enjoy photography. It allows me to get away from the computer and experience my art. I also find that I enjoy making a composition out of already-manifested-objects rather than create something from scratch (graphic design "scratch" IS different from web design "scratch").

3- You have no idea how much I enjoy carrying a camera around with me everywhere I go. If I had a large enough bag, I would carry around my camera (Sony a100 10MP DSLR) and my video camera just to be sure I would catch every interesting and beautiful moment of my life.

So, while I may be way off base with my Spec work observation, I believe I still make a valid argument for some point or another.

Dissect you later!