Digitalmash

Have you ever watched yourself as you create something?

It’s a strange thing to observe. As content emerges there’s engagement, focus, optimism and excitement. Following swiftly is a pause. There’s then a detachment, assessment and reality-check. The head pulls back and tilts. Another pause. Finally, there’s a re-engagement and the process starts again.

It’s as if there are two different people taking turns in the process. One is doing the manual labour and coming up with new material. The other, supervising, suggesting changes and making sure everything ends up as it should.

If you’re a designer, it’s likely these two personas occupy your working ‘self’ in a big way. And without a balanced contribution from each one, the work you produce will suffer.

Herman’s Head

The traditional design studio is set up in a way where there is a clear division of labour. Generally speaking, the more senior the creative, the less ‘hands-on’ work they’ll do. Conversely, those who are less experienced (let’s call them juniors) are charged with creating the bulk of the content which makes up the work of an agency.

Creativity is a little like ‘the force’. It really depends on how it’s guided as to whether it turns out to be good or bad.

Juniors produce work that’s often directed and critiqued. Failure is expected, and often encouraged. The junior is raw in the sense that they don’t always have a clear vision that’s completely relevant to the brief, so often their efforts show promise, but are slightly off the mark. But to their credit, they’re not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They experiment with new ideas, no matter how crazy.

Above the junior designers, looking over their shoulder is the art director. They guide the process and make sure it stays on course, questioning ‘does that work?’ at every turn. They’re visionaries who survey the work, red pen in hand, crushing the whims of their juniors — the gatekeepers who ensure that only the best work survives.

The junior represents the creative side of the design process: naive, wide-eyed and unfiltered. The art directors, the seasoned analytical side – one which always remembers the brief, approaching it with a pragmatic, sobering and solution-based mind. They have an ability to shape ‘nice ideas’ into concrete, usable concepts.

Balance

Inside the mind of every good designer is a balanced mix of the Junior and the Art Director. And despite their opposition to one another, these two personas rely heavily on each other to do their job effectively. Without the junior’s optimism and fresh ideas, the art director would actually get very little done — like a sculptor without a lump of clay. Conversely, without guidance and direction, the junior is unable to harness their talent towards a specific goal or brief. The work may get done, but without a critical appraisal, it’s often misguided or worse, completely irrelevant.

Why they’re important

The reason these two mindsets are important to consider is that when there’s an imbalance of either, it’s nearly impossible to be an effective designer. Despite what people say, creativity on its own isn’t nearly enough. Give me a dash of critical detachment over pure creativity any day. Creativity is a little like ‘the force’. It really depends on how it’s guided as to whether it turns out to be good or bad.

Likewise, when the junior calls in sick, we suffer what people term ‘creative block’. The process is no longer “trial and error”, it’s just “…and error.” Our cynical art director knows the work isn’t good, but until we can switch out of this stiflingly critical mindset, the junior has no space to try new ideas.

Good designers are able to switch between these opposing states constantly, seamlessly and (most of the time) at will. When ideas emerge, it’s as though these processes are happening at the same time. But of course, if they were, nothing would actually ever get done.

When you’re struggling with a design, try to observe if one mindset is dominating the process. Learn to utilise each to their potential and not let them sabotage one another. When things are working as they should, like a good design studio, the junior and art director will bounce ideas back and forth with mutual respect and a common goal.

‘Heath’, Vincent Fantauzzo, (2008).

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