Graphic Design vs. Grafix Dezign

by Rusty

The difference between the two is not as subtle as a spelling change… trust me. It’s a chasm a mile deep and light years wide.

The 1984 release of Apple’s Macintosh computer and the 1987 release of Quark Xpress (the first computer-based page layout program) dually eliminated the jobs of tens of thousands of professional pasters, waxers, typositors, xacto knifers, etc. In other words, anyone with a computer, a few fonts, and Quark (or Photoshop or Illustrator) could call themselves graphic designers. And they did. And they do.

Empowering the everyday Jane with these tools is both wonderful and terrible. Wonderful because more people can create more stuff that can be produced quicker and cheaper. Terrible because 90% of it is crap. Who says so? I do. And therein lies the rub. Aesthetics are not mechanical so their “success” is often subjective.

Graphic design is about solving visual communication problems. It’s NOT about making things look cool/hip/nice/beautiful/whatever. Success is measured not by how many people think it’s pretty, but if it communicates its message.

And now, 20 differences between a graphic designer and grafix dezigner:

1) Designers spell words correctly. Dezigners use “x” and “z” as replacements to be edgy.
2) Designers use words to get attention. Dezigners use lightning.
3) Designers love clip art because its kitschy. Dezigners love clip art as solutions in their designs.
4) Designers have lots of fonts (and often pay over $100 for them). Dezigners use fonts that come with the machine or free on the web.
5) Designers tell stories. Dezigners tell you everything.
6) Designers were designing before computers. Dezigners were accountants before computers.
7) Designers ask the target audience their opinion. Dezigners ask their mothers their opinion. 8) Designers use few fonts, but vary the sizes. Dezigners use few sizes, but vary the fonts.
9) Designers only use clichés to be ironic. Dezigners don’t know what cliché means.
10) Designers use visual hierarchy to communicate an order. Dezigners don’t know what’s most important so they say everything loud.
11) Designers learn their client’s vernacular and vocabulary. Dezigners use their own.
12) Designers use Helvetica. Dezigners use Arial (or Helvetica because they don’t know the difference.)
13) Designers achieve gray type through font choice, kerning and leading. Dezigners achieve gray type by changing the color to gray.
14) Designers believe, “just enough is more”. Dezigners say, “less is more” and then do more.
15) Designers know design history. Dezigners might know art history.
16) Designers don’t stroke (outline), drop shadow, bevel, stretch, twist, or squish type. Dezigners do.
17) Designers respect Paul Rand for what he did for IBM. Dezigners use an IBM.
18) Designers often find the solution after 100 attempts. Dezigners don’t go beyond five.
19) Designers use Bodoni. Dezigners use Papyrus.
20) Designers say graphic design. Dezigners say graphics design.

If you think this list is pretentious and exclusive, you’re right. So is the bar exam.

18 Comments

  1. Amen to all of it! And a big thank you from two real designers, who actually went to design school. Your post is spot on.

    Comment by Aimee Roo — September 9, 2005 @ 12:04 am

  2. Thus the numerous pages of entries for Blogads new logo contest!

    Comment by chronicler — September 9, 2005 @ 12:06 am

  3. Pagemaker predates Quark Xpress, I believe.

    Comment by D. Fletcher — September 9, 2005 @ 3:57 pm

  4. Yup. Quark Xpress really did improve upon a lot of limitations of Pagemaker. But then bad management ran it into the ground…

    Comment by Clark Goble — September 11, 2005 @ 9:24 pm

  5. As someone who builds web sites (but doesn’t design them), I can tell you the best designers I’ve worked with are those who:

    1. Know enough about HTML, and esp. CSS, to design well for it
    2. Know how to organize a photoshop file

    Comment by Susan M — September 12, 2005 @ 11:52 am

  6. Definitely an entertaining article! But what makes this post great is the 2nd comment, with link, to the Blog Ads logo contest. Those “logos” visually sum up what the article states, and what is wrong with a lot of Graphic Design: Anyone with a computer can do it.

    Comment by Aron_Hoag — September 12, 2005 @ 12:39 pm

  7. Chronicler & Aron,
    Exactly right.

    Comment by Rusty — September 12, 2005 @ 1:32 pm

  8. Let’s have a Kulturblog logo contest.

    Comment by Susan M — September 12, 2005 @ 9:46 pm

  9. Yes indeed, Kulturblog needs a logo, and I mean, BAD.

    But wait, it’s got that “K” in it. Bad idea already?

    Comment by D. Fletcher — September 12, 2005 @ 9:58 pm

  10. HA! Good one, D. I actually like the K. I guess it’s a matter of which letter your substituting and which one you are substituting it with. And which word. In other words, everyone that substitutes letters needs to ask me first.

    Comment by Rusty — September 12, 2005 @ 11:13 pm

  11. Graphic Design is satisfying your customer while effectively communicating a predetermined message to the public or a target group of people graphically. Any way in which this is effectively accomplished is good graphic design. This post is a pathetic attempt to make you look better than someone else because your not creative enough to come up with good designs. It looks more like excuses why your designs are lame.

    Comment by cletus — September 13, 2005 @ 1:54 pm

  12. Cletus, are you serious? What in the post suggests that I can’t come up with good designs? Excuses? Huh? What the hell are you talking about? The point of the post was to 1) point out that the profession of graphic design both suffers and excels because anyone can do it, and 2) be funny. It’s sad you would judge my designs (none of which you’ve seen) based on a post that was intended to be funny. Sure the post was a snobbish, but that was the point.

    (I know, you’re a closet Papyrus lover and are embarrassed, right?)

    Comment by Rusty — September 13, 2005 @ 3:06 pm

  13. AWW. I LOVE THIS.

    All too true :)

    Comment by Randy — September 14, 2005 @ 11:36 am

  14. Amen! Finally, a sign that there are real designers out there. Can I add a couple of differences to your list?

    21) Designers respect typography and type. Dezigners distort fonts and they use Comic Sans.
    22) Designers understand design language. Dezigners use jargon to look cool.

    Comment by Frank Juval — September 14, 2005 @ 11:42 am

  15. Comic Sans, that most mocked of fonts. It forever means birthday parties and America’s Funniest Home Videos. Thanks Frank.

    Comment by Supergenius — September 14, 2005 @ 2:05 pm

  16. One font I’m really tired of is THIS ONE.

    Comment by D. Fletcher — September 14, 2005 @ 2:31 pm

  17. LOL!

    Comment by Supergenius — September 14, 2005 @ 2:34 pm

  18. I think some rules apply and some don’t. Good design (I think) should be judged on a case by case basis. There may be times when using 1337 speak and drop shadows work or communicate what’s needed. I also think that design isn’t just the process of making things pretty, bulbous or flashy. Those that are created for the sole purpose are the messages that get left to the wayside.

    Comment by Seth — September 14, 2005 @ 7:03 pm