An Analysis of Results

Results: Design Industry results

While some respondents cited untrained designers in the workplace, more focus was placed on the following factors: Lack of graphic designer education in the business realm and the proliferation of software that makes graphic design ‘appear’ as a DIY situation. More dangerous than the wholly untrained with basic design programs (PowerPoint, Publisher and MS Word) were those persons with basic desktop design skills, partial proficiency in higher-end programs (PhotoShop, Illustrator, DreamWeaver) and no design training.

Which do you feel is the biggest threat to our profession?

While some respondents cited untrained designers in the workplace, more focus was placed on the following factors: Lack of graphic designer education in the business realm and the proliferation of software that makes graphic design ‘appear’ as a DIY situation. More dangerous than the wholly untrained with basic design programs (PowerPoint, Publisher and MS Word) were those persons with basic desktop design skills, partial proficiency in higher-end programs (PhotoShop, Illustrator, DreamWeaver) and no design training.

The respondents felt these people were devaluing the GD profession most by undervaluing their own time and energies, which in turn give the public the perception that many GDers: Those with degrees in design and proficient in multiple areas (prepress, design elements and an understanding of traditional art) were overpriced.

Which of the following best describes you?

With the exception of the terms ‘business owner’, ‘freelance’ and ‘full/part time,’ virtually none of the respondents had a similar job description. Many freelancers held down full-time positions as well. Looking at the responses, I am not surprised at the difficulties that the GD forum has with an overall comprehensive term for what we do.

What level of designer would you say you are?

Respondents’ answers ranged from the ‘one-year newbie’ all the way to ‘design goddess.’ The survey covered folks between 1 and 30-plus years of experience. Most fell within the 5-10 year range and did not specify skills or capabilities. However, one reply included the disclaimer that neither age nor time employed guarantees a skill set. I’m inclined to agree, but of course, if you keep making money, you must be doing something right.

Which is the highest answer that best describes what determines the ‘basic, minimum requirement’ to be considered a ‘professional’?

This was an amazingly extensive set of responses. Condensing them brought the following statement:

Professional includes a practical knowledge of design principles, knowledge of computer programs and education in both design and business matters.

While these seemed to be universally agreed upon, two respondents added that the balance of these skills was wholly dependent upon the career path the person had chosen.

In what area would you like to improve yourself?

Software education and technological education took a backseat here in favor of a continuation of a combo of design and business education, including the psychology of logos, expanding upon self-taught skills, creation of personal style, and how to educate clients.

Do you think that designers are receiving a fair price for their work?

The grass is apparently greener on the other computer. Very few respondents gave a yes/no answer. Many (more than 50 percent) said that they were not receiving a fair price, but they were sure that others were. Reasons included location (metropolitan area vs. rural setting), whether it was a design firm/agency (higher overhead) or a part of a larger corporation (e.g., marketing departments), a designer’s ability to price themselves and their product fairly.

Interestingly, there was a belief that at-home designers under-priced themselves because of a lack of overhead expenses.

In the end, however, it seems that the major factor here had to do with the understanding of the business needs of a business.

If you think designers are not receiving a fair price for their work, which reason below do you think best describes why?

Business and Industry inadequacies, lowballing/outsourcing: All were cited as contributors to the fair pricing question, but the most popular answers focused on a lack of education both by service providers and service-seekers.

Education:

I like this answer - it sums it up nicely: “We cannot hold clients completely accountable when there are so many of us in the design community lowballing, under pricing, and just not fully understanding the business side of the industry.’

Lowballing/Outsourcing:

In a nutshell, technology has made it cheaper for some companies to offshore their design these days. For those who don’t have the budget for offshore work (a large and comparatively expensive thing, folks), the small business owner is more likely to seek out good designers with less than 5 years of experience who are more likely to undervalue their product to gain experience or, of course, cousin Bobby with the copy of Photoshop 5.5.

Business-side:

One of the most concise answers stated that many companies, seeking an in-house design solution, are eschewing the hiring of a trained designer in favor of on-the-job training of an existing person (like a secretary or marketing person).

Do you think Internet cheap logo companies are undermining the integrity and value of professional graphic designers?

Wow - here’s a storm of responses. Once again, people shied away from absolutes, but the ‘yesses’ have it. Respondents, for the most part did not count those customers shopping for a cheap logo as valuable customers to begin with. A sense of caveat emptor permeates the replies here. However, the apparent abundance of these sites was cited as a major factor in the public perception of overpricing within the GD community.

By the way, from one of the respondents: I am still determining whether Logoworks.com is the devil or a lesser form of demon, half-breed or imp. The Vatican has had no official response.

For those of you who have been members of a design organization, or are still a member, is there anything you would suggest as an improvement?

Well, just like the average consumer, the respondents want more services for less money. Funny how that works out. Seriously, most respondents claim that the design organisations offer too little for too much money and, as the value of the GD skill set is declining in the public market, most can’t afford to join the very organisations that claim to be working to improve the situation.

The number one improvement was more business and marketing education for designers so that they could learn to price themselves accordingly, and a push towards client education so that they could see the value of investing in a good designer.

The second most popular response had to do with abandoning the exclusivity and apparent elitism that respondents claim that most members of design organisations hold.

I abandoned the responses that had to do with ‘accountability’ as it was far too vague to be valuable, and ‘weeding out the hacks’ as I believe the Inquisition ended many years ago.

Do you think that the existing design organizations are satisfying the needs of today’s designers?

Most respondents did not use design organisations, either because of price/value perceptions or insufficient knowledge of the organisations in general. Those who choose not to use them cite a lack of aggressive championing of standards and education in the GD profession. Several said that the various online forums are more valuable and, of course, cheaper than joining an organisation.

Which type of design organization would you join, and think would be ideal for today’s design industry?

One which fostered a sense of community to aid in networking and held its members to a high sense of professional standards without encouraging a sense of exclusivity. While this last request seems to be a contradictory statement, respondents stressed a need to encompass all areas of GD (prepress, print and web media) so that members could continue to educate themselves and others in areas where they felt deficient: Sort of a communal approach to learning instead of ‘you must have 5 years of PhotoShop and Illustrator experience to join.’

What would be a reasonable annual membership fee that you could afford to belong to the design organization that you chose above?

Twenty percent of respondents did not answer this question. Many of those who did wanted it cheap and/or free. However, the majority said they’d be willing to pay something if the organisation would do all the things they asked for in previous questions. If you want numbers, most said between 50-100 dollars per annum, or a variable scale depending upon usage. (Maybe a ‘bronze, silver and gold club’ approach?)

A unique approach was outlined where a user could enjoy a free trial area, then buy into a lower-level package and then be invited into an upper-level group, where fees and benefits would increase.

Do your clients have a good understanding of what graphic design can do for them?

Many respondents said yes, but primarily depend on the efforts of the GDer to educate their clients. But whether this is because the client is already a client and therefore had some previous knowledge as to the value of a trained designer remains to be seen. Once again, the location of the designer was also a contributing factor, as rural and urban areas exhibit different senses of what a professional designer is valued at.

Do you think the graphic design industry needs a fresh, new attitude about who designers are and what they do, for ourselves and for the way clients see us?

There was no consensus here. Everyone called for change, but whether that change begins in school, in the business world, or with the designer was the major difference. Better advertising, educating clients, separating the designer from the amateur and clearly defining design/identity development as a field, were all mentioned.

Do you think that public relations can grow your business?

For the majority of the respondents, especially those who owned their own business, the answer was yes. Nuff said.

Do you think that launching a campaign that explains the value of graphic design to the public would be a great help to the industry?

More ‘yes’ answers than ‘no’: Those who said yes, were unsure who would spearhead this campaign, and those who said no, cited consumer apathy to the situation - sort of a ‘who would care?’ attitude.

Do you think that ‘graphic design’ has become a vague term that inadequately describes what we do?

Answers ranged from “Graphic design (as a term) is b......t” to “It’s always been a vague term.” Surprisingly, the answers were often, well, vague. Some have noted that the term is more recognisable to the public, but many noted that accurate public perception of the skill set is still unknown.

Which term would you choose?

Again, a rather convoluted series of answers followed this one. In essence, since all respondents defined their job requirements differently, held together by the usage of the same computer programs and design skills, the titles ranged: Here’s the quick and dirty list:

• Graphic Communications
• Communication Design
• Graphic Artist/Designer
• Marketing & visual communications consultant
• Visual Designer
• Commercial Art(ist)
• Visual Communicator
• Visual Creative Consultant
• Communications Design

Do you think a new term should be promoted in the minds of the public to help describe what we do?

Most respondents still favor the term Graphic Design as an umbrella term, with some (as yet unknown) way to separate the various mediums. However, some wanted a new term to describe those designers who were accredited by a standardized test. Overall, they stressed a need to clarify existing terminology before moving to new names to avoid public confusion.

by Tom Dyer