June 16, 2008
Ideas 101
Fine design and fine dining
I happened across the web of The French Laundry recently, one of 14 restaurants awarded the Mobil Five-Star Award in 2007. As I was browsing through it, it struck me how analogous graphic design is to dining. Both disciplines use a basic set of ingredients to prepare a product using a fairly well-defined set of tools.
So what distinguishes fast food design from five-star design?
1. The quality of the ingredients
2. Attention to detail
3. An understanding of consumer expectations
4. A balance between price and perceived value
5. The level of designer's training and experience
In the Ideabook Design Store: Before & After: Graphics For Business...
Good points, but I also believe that the other gamut of levels of design you mention can also be fearless, expertly crafted, and be performed by those who love what they do. I don't believe these attributes exist only in "five-star firms".
There are those of us who aren't necessarily rising stars but are wowing clients with truly great design. Those designers, like the tried and true corner cafe, will always have something to offer that people keep coming back for.
The corner design studio knows the area, knows the client, knows their neighborhood. They are in a unique position to produce evocative design that no amount of research can emulate. That kind of design I believe can only exist in small spaces and with a real relationship which benefits the client's consumer expectations.
Posted by: John Moorehead | June 16, 2008 11:57 AM
You're right John (I am revising the post to simplify the main point). You can have a five-star attitude without ever winning award one.
Posted by: Chuck Green | June 16, 2008 4:52 PM
I actually liked what you spoke about in your first post; it really made me think about what makes designers recognized by a peer group.
You'll certainly be noticed with great work and happy clients, two things great design firms are known for. But as you mention in your 5 characteristics of good design, there is much more to the "recipe".
Posted by: John Moorehead | June 16, 2008 5:07 PM