Comments on: Designers must write

By: Wait a minute | Experimental Design Magazine » I better write this down,

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:53:44 +0000

[...] to design process. And besides by any means informative and outstanding article by Eric Karjaluoto, “Designers must write”, I want to post an excerpt from a particularly relevant book by David Crystal, “How Language [...]

By: Joanna

Joanna — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:42:12 +0000

Great article (as all of them)!

I agree that all the designers have to draw. I'm sure that everyone can find their drawing style, even if you can't draw a proper human or other figures!

I always had problems with drawings but I found my own way to put my thoughts on the paper.

About writing, so true! After all our real job is to convert messages into a visual.

Even thug my English is not perfect I always try to write blog posts and essays about my ideas.

By: Eduardo Ribeiro

Eduardo Ribeiro — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:11:56 +0000

"The next, and in my mind more powerful (by this I do not mean relevant, but rather as one commanding greater influence) category of designer, is one that sees her/his role as a communicator and will go to any length to convey a message or idea."

Loved this.

By: Leanne Johnson

Leanne Johnson — Wed, 25 May 2011 10:16:05 +0000

So completely agree - running the studio here I've noticed applications and interest from a lot of young designers who can't draw, can't write (or even spell - my pet hate!) and focus on how we should be using InDesign vs Quark or another vs another. Sadly I also got asked what I do by a cab driver a couple of years back, who in all seriousness asked if you had to learn Photoshop to be a designer, as he knew somebody who...and blah blah blah... I asked him if simply being able to press pedals made a taxi driver, or being able to hold a wrench made someone a mechanic? He said 'no of course not' and I responded 'exactly, those are just tools - all designers need to use their brain as their primary tool, they should research and plan and write and create - the tools and end processes are just that.' My design tutor at college told us to draw and sketch everything, even for quick comps, as you 'lose the energy' created by quickly doodling these things raw and small, as soon as you try and do that via computer. Being excited about the shiny new Macs, we initially didn't understand what he meant - but quickly discovered he was so right. I still sketch out even wireframes with a pencil, no ruler, in small roughs before I then sketch again and plan them out a little neater. The iPad is coming in handy as a quick on-the-go hybrid - I can sketch with stylus or finger in the same manner, but it's straight onto the computer. Still doesn't beat a great collection of beautiful pencils to get your hand on though :) Overall, the best advice I ever had from a tutor was 'study everything - NOT just design.' They instilled that we had to read, write, sketch, take heed of fashion, product and interior design fields, as well as technology but never displacing traditional methods offhand. We should research and take an interest in everything, as it will come in handy for what we need to pay more attention to - fundamentally understanding our client's business, and solving their particular need or problem as a visual communicator. Great advice (and I'd add to that, it's not just a visual communicator)

By: Jamis Charles

Jamis Charles — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:37:29 +0000

Eric,

I agree with your comments.

Companies like Google call this role Interaction Designer and it is separate from the "Visual Designer" role.

By: Put Down Your Crayons | ideasonideas

Put Down Your Crayons | ideasonideas — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:13:53 +0000

[...] about research, analysis, organization of findings, non-linear reasoning, and the ability to write these things down. Further, I need people who can probe intelligently to achieve insight, and later articulate their [...]

By: Recent design education and process discussions « Arteliance

Recent design education and process discussions « Arteliance — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:59:31 +0000

[...] ideasonideas » Blog Archive » Designers must write >Even that early on, I knew that design was about more than getting funky >glasses and flipping through type magazines–It had everything to do with >the idea. How could you effectively explore or begin to develop an idea >without first scratching down some thumbnails and messing about? [...]

By: Blog Writings « Typopath Blog

Blog Writings « Typopath Blog — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:35:58 +0000

[...] writing. I understand the value it serves as a designer and agree with Eric Karjaluto when he says ‘Designers must write’. At school I discovered that this is one of the skills that separates you from being just another [...]

By: I’m a designer, not a writer. WRONG! | Industrial Brand

I’m a designer, not a writer. WRONG! | Industrial Brand — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:55:42 +0000

[...] designer, GDC colleague and friend, named Eric Karjaluoto of SmashLab.com, who wrote a pretty good article on this topic called Designers Must Write arguing that learning to write was like learning to draw—a skill he argues is critical as a [...]

By: Writing and Design | jamin.org

Writing and Design | jamin.org — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:03:11 +0000

[...] Karjaluoto’s recent post, Designers must write, talks about the role writing and communication plays in the growth of designers. Our ability to [...]