Bring Bad Design to Justice…maybe
by Andrew CrowInternally to Adaptive Path, we have a series of mailing lists that help us keep in touch with each other, discuss design topics or even just talk about current issues.
A recent post came from Dan Saffer where he pointed us all to these tongue-in-cheek stickers that could be used to call out “bad design”. These stickers offer warning label-style comments such as “Consult a typographer” or “Severe lack of creativity” and “Good idea wasted by poor execution”.
Dan’s intention was to share a funny take on the honest frustration that many designers feel when they see design that could have been better. The result he got on the mailing list was a very typical and spirited debate. Rather that writing a post about the stickers myself, I thought I’d just share the conversation.
First, here is the site: http://www.design-police.org/
Dan: We need a set of these. And to make a set for IxD/IA!
Kim: Absolutely brilliant. We should definitely make some for IxD/IA!
Peter: I’m sorry. This is the kind of holier-than-thou crap about inconsequential bullshit that has encouraged marginalizing designers because they behave as a bunch of mindless aesthetes with no concern for issues other than appropriate typography, and little interest in things that actually matter.
Dan: Since when is good visual design inconsequential bullshit? Aesthetics matter, and good typography and composition are essential parts of that. It’s all part of a chain: bad type –> bad visuals –> bad experience. Ignore this stuff and you get sloppy, ugly work.
Is it more mindless to not care about how something looks, or to practice good visual design? Good experiences are made up of good details.
Jesse: I completely agree with Dan that aesthetics matter, but to Peter’s point, if I were a bettin’ man, I wouldn’t wager that “Kern this!” is the most important or valuable message a client needs to hear.
Dan: Oh god no, I’d never use these for a client. I assumed these were stickers for internal reviews.
Peter: I’m not saying aesthetics aren’t important. I’m saying that the attitude exhibited by this set of stickers is indicative of a mindless condescension that has lead to the marginalization of the practice of visual design. It’s no different than “usability engineers” who decry the state of the Web and want to impose their small-minded ruleset.
While your point (”bad type –> bad visuals –> bad experience”) has validity, what it doesn’t recognize is that tone matters. And this catty attempt at humor represented by this design-police is exactly why they are ignored.
Kim: I saw these as a joke - funny, haha, humorous, poking fun in the same way the video “make the logo bigger” is funny. I never saw these as a serious endeavor or something to be used in a professional setting.
Creating them for IxD and IA would be a way of poking fun at ourselves and the things that we continually hear in our practice.
I cannot tell you how many times my husband (a print advertising graphic designer) looks at print ads with disgust and espouses “Man, they need to kern that!” He thought the stickers were funny, but was disappointed that they lacked the traditional copy editor marks, using text instead.
Andrew: I’m not a fan of these. I remember a while back when there was so much discussion about make Design a licensable practice. I thought it was arrogant then, I think it’s still an offensive idea.
That’s not to say that these stickers (which were created as an obvious joke) embody this sentiment. I simply feel that there might be a more positive way to express the inside joke. I love the KERN hoodie from Veer. I think not only is it clever, but it conveys a wink-wink to other designers without offending the ignorant. These stickers seem to take the joke a little too far.
Like Kim’s husband, I’ve done it a thousand times where I get angry at poor typography, incorrect color balance in duotones, mis-registration or poor copy. Jannine’s heard an earful. But, if I were ever to express that to that designer or that secretary, I’d probably try a more educative and sympathetic approach.
That’s not to say we can’t have our fun with poor design. There is a some seriously shitty work out there. So, if the spirit of things like this are meant to be playful or as an inside joke, there’s fun in that.
What’s the interaction design equivalent version of the KERN hoodie?
Kate: Interesting points. While I agree with Peter that the “I’m entitled to judge because I know more and better than you” is mean-spirited and plays to the worst of egoist-designers-as-gods, there is the opportunity to have something like stickers that highlight moving toward a greater good.
For example, “legible from space” and “Microscope required” are a comment on “hey, buddy! Folks aren’t going to read this because of a *serious* flaw that you oughtta fix.” That’s more like the Billboard Liberation League’s public service messages than the League of Self-Appointed Extraordinary Designers self-serving know-it-all.
I’d be happy to have similar stickers (depending on message) and I would use them. But I also want a set that celebrate effective design. Red=no. Green=yes. We should support honest celebration of good things…not center ourselves on being police and judges.
Domino magazine has stickers that you can use to tag ideas you like. It’s helpful and warm and engaging. If we could bring a “make the world better” smile into the stickers, it would make them much more human…more like us.
There you have it. A brief insight into what we talk about at the office. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the stickers, on criticising design or if you’d like to hear more of our ramblings.
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January 24th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
[...] Bring Bad Design to Justice…maybe Kim: I saw these as a joke - funny, haha, humorous, poking fun in the same way the video “make the logo bigger” is funny. I never saw these as a serious endeavor or something to be used in a professional setting. … [...]
January 25th, 2008 at 3:15 am
[...] Bring Bad Design to Justice…maybe [...]
January 25th, 2008 at 5:22 am
This is the kind of holier-than-thou crap about inconsequential bullshit that has encouraged marginalizing designers because they behave as a bunch of mindless aesthetes with no concern for issues other than appropriate typography, and little interest in things that actually matter.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. When I see things like these stickers, it becomes very clear to me why design still doesn’t “have a seat at the table.”
January 25th, 2008 at 10:18 am
“This is the kind of holier-than-thou crap about inconsequential bullshit that has encouraged marginalizing designers because they behave as a bunch of mindless aesthetes with no concern for issues other than appropriate typography, and little interest in things that actually matter”
That is exactly the type of comments that should be avoided when assessing ideas. Maybe that is what makes the idea behind the stickers genuine. It brings everybody, regardless of their personalities and education levels, to the same common ground in commenting other people’s work. I might get offended by a comment similar to that stated above, but let’s be rational, I will be a lot less frustrated by a sticker even if it’s coming from the same person.
Let’s try that: what is more meaningful to tell Peter “You’re a mindless arrogant who thinks he knows what actually matters” or give him a simple bullshit sticker that says “Get your Tone of voice right”?
It is very easy to find flaws in ideas. What’s harder and what makes a good designer, architect and engineer is to find a potential use for the essence behind those ideas.
D.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I do not believe that these stickers were meant to bring everyone to a common ground for a rational, sane design discussion. The tone of the stickers is snarky and sarcastic. It may have only been intended for a joke, or to have some fun, but it doesn’t help anyone come to a better or more learned understanding of good design.
To Peter’s point (and I am not speaking for him, only adding my agreement), visual design has been marginalized in many clients eyes. While many people are slowing waking up to the idea of good product and service design, the majority of people still look at visual design as something that can be done with little effort or little talent. Additionally, many visual designers (myself included) have encouraged that by ignoring the bigger picture of design. Typography, color, aesthetics are paramount, but an attitude of over-simplification of priorities doesn’t help anyone come to understand their value.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:28 am
It is an over-simplification indeed yet it points out those small details that will only be understood by the illustrators themselves. Let’s be sane and rational, what’s more meaningful to the graphic designer “Match between system and the real world” or “This does not communicate”?
Who’s the intended reader? - Not Nielsen, so maybe more practical and hands-on comments could put them on the right track (Or are we avoiding getting into the details?).
It is our job (information architects, usability specialists, interaction designers, user experience designers…) to do the structure and mechanics BUT it is also our job to communicate precisely (with those small little details) the flaws in a rendered design aka designed by a person who isn’t that concerned about the “visibility of system status”.
So maybe we should give a little bit more credits to this initiative… It isn’t that mindless afterall.
D.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Dory, I think to some degree we’re fiercely agreeing. I think one of the points I was trying to make was that there ways to do exactly what you describe, but on a higher level of tact.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
But if Dan and Kim’s husband understood the jokes insinuated then we would have found a better way to communicate. Graphic designers and we do not understand each other easily. We have different perspectives and objectives. I barely understood half of the jokes on those stickers but the graphic designer right next to me was laughing while reading them. Now I know where to look to slip one of those jokes in assessing his design. Again, internally, better have fun then make fun (through unintentional comments). And while one is very intimidating, the other seems to be relatively educative. I don’t know how Dan came up with those but it sure is some sort of internal graphic design jokes…and they still work beyond the borders (CANADA).
(I don’t even know who Dan is); I just admire everything that comes out from your company.
Enough playing the devil’s advocate
January 25th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Yuck! Not sure what’s worse - the snobby attitude prevalent in these “stickers” or the fact I wasted time reading through all the comments. (I admire MOST things that come out of your company
January 25th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I’m confused by some of the comments. You all know that we didn’t come up with these stickers, right? We’re just talking about them.
January 27th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
[...] El Blog del Ny ^_^ wrote an interesting post today on Bring Bad Design to Justice … maybeHere’s a quick excerptPeter Merholz: "I’m not saying aesthetics aren’t important. [...]
January 28th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Hello,
I just think that bad design doesn’t need stickers, it speaks for it. if it’s ad it’s bad if it’s good it’s good, long term people will notice or the bad becames good.
February 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
The work is from Stephen Woowat’s 2005 student portfolio.