Thinking about design sense
I wrote this article in Japanese ->http://dendesign.jp/blog/?p=59
Hello.
This is Ohori of DenDesign K.K.
This time, I would like to try writing about my thoughts about “design sense,” a subject I have been wanting to write about for a while now.
Personally, I feel that the general understanding of the word “sense” is that, because it changes suddenly with the times, it is an unsystematized “kind of talent that is not very well understood.”
■People who have sense, people who don’t
First, let’s think about what it means to have sense or not have sense.
Being something of a designer myself, in a sense I make my living by having sense, but “having sense” is a phrase that is used in many different fields.
“Doesn’t have graphic sense,” “doesn’t have business sense,” doesn’t have fashion sense.” If we were to replace “sense” here with “knowledge,” then these phrases would read…
“Doesn’t have graphic knowledge,” “doesn’t have business knowledge,” “doesn’t have fashion knowledge.” Fundamentally speaking, I think that this is what is really being said.
To put it another way, a person with sense is a person who in his or her field
1.) Knows what the mainstream (the condition of being thought to have sense) is.
2.) Is able to act within that mainstream.
I think someone who has sense is someone who can do both of these things.
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There are people who can do 1.) unconsciously, but it is usually necessary to actively “1.) know the mainstream.”
Broadly speaking, there are two ways to do 1.) effectively.
■ “Acquire resolution”
By resolution here I mean not the number of pixels per inch, but that when people look at the same picture, there are some who “are vaguely able to see something” in it and some “who can’t.”
In fact, this has something do with the “knowledge” I discussed in 1.).
The difference in knowledge is produced from how far the person looking at the picture is able to absorb information by converting it into language.
Designer level 0
"Oh, LOUIS VUITTON's logo is so cool, how do they get it to look so cool?"
Designer level 1
"Oh, the LOUIS VUITTON logo. The font is Sans-Serif, but maybe because the line thickness is just right, it doesn't come off as pop, instead it has a really chic atmosphere."
Designer level 2
"Oh, the LOUIS VUITTON logo. Is that Futura font? It has a really dignified atmosphere, just what you'd expect of a format that was created based upon the ancient Roman inscription format. And because futura means the future, it's also perfect for the fashion industry, which has to be innovative. There's also a feeling of space between the letters that gives the logo a feeling of class."
*Please take this erudite explanation with a grain of salt.
When these designers receive an order for a luxury brand logo, the difference that will appear in their output is clear.
In other words, the presence or absence of background knowledge makes a tremendous difference in the amount of information gained from viewing the same object.
"Knowledge" is necessary to improve resolution.
So let's be sure to read books.
■Put yourself in an environment where input is necessary.
There are many people who are thought to have sense naturally, but I think that having sense is more of an acquired trait determined by whether someone is in an environment where he or she can master what they input.
・Being in an environment where you can naturally imitate those who have sense
・Being in situations where you need lots of input for your work
Being in an environment where you can master what you input is important.
On a related note, using the internet requires actively taking action, and thus requires stronger motivation compared to the people discussed above who "input naturally."
Therefore, I think that moving oneself into such an environment is a fantastic use of one's efforts.
Summary
Sense is made up of the difference in knowledge and the amount of input backed up by environment; also, although I did not write about it here, I also think that action is necessary in order to have sense.
There are two types of people who have sense.
・People who ride the current mainstream
・People who see what lies a little beyond the mainstream and blaze a trail forward
The simplest thing for a creator to do is "make something that rides the current mainstream."
Orders requesting me to make "something that's cool now" are frustrating, but I think that they are the simplest jobs to do if you are regularly accumulating input.
Let me apologize here for saying that I was going to write about design sense, and ending by only discussing font. (Ha ha)
See you next time!
