Weekly Cool Videos Release and some ranting

I am going to micro-rant about the local design industry in this post so if you are interested click "» read on...", otherwise, here is this week's link to the coolest videos of the week: Thirty Conversations On Design via formfiftyfive.

Every week, I scour the intertube for cool videos and try to release them every weekend. However, I noticed that I have not blogged for the whole of October. Well, that is due to the fact I am designing full time again. Yay! Nevertheless, I must continue what I set out to do in September and that is to blog regularly no matter what! So, here is this week's link to the coolest videos of the week: http://thirtyconversationsondesign.com/ via formfiftyfive.

The website collected 30 videos "conversations" of great designers such as, from the first batch, Paula Scher ("Design is making things better.") and Erik Spiekermann ("I strive on constraints... otherwise I will be an artist.")

The topic is:

We asked them two questions: “What single example of design inspires you most?” and “What problem should design solve next?”

As a designer, watching these video indeed inspire me to want to do work that matter. Very often I wonder if my work ever affect anyone. However, in Singapore, I fear that there is a bigger problem. The kind of argument that these great designers have, does not matter in Singapore as a lot clients do not understand design at all.

In fact, some clients I have worked with are clueless about their own job scope. They seems to have time to art direct me than to concentrate on making sure that their message is clear which is what they are paid to do. You know that when they spend time sketching out your artwork (that person actually made sure he sketched it accurately to my design) and rearranging them to their liking but to no effect at all to the message.

But, is it the designer's fault that this unfortunate situation occurs? Maybe, we do not value ourselves high enough. I personally believe that we as designers, no matter what kind of design we do, have an impact on the world around us more than, for example, a banker (arguably, they cannot make the world better, however, collectively, these guys can make an economy collapse).

There are a lot of pretenders out there who believe so much in themselves that the only people they design for are themselves. These people don't believe in constraints and making things better. Most of the time they want to move overseas as a form of escape. All they are doing is making unnecessary noises that are hindering progress.

Every good designer in Singapore that I know is angry at the situation and they want a change. Frankly, I am still finding my way around but I do know there cannot be an immediate turn around. However, we must be like Dufresne in Shankshaw Redemption and chip away the problem one day by one day. End rant.