{"id":25351,"date":"2011-01-30T05:12:19","date_gmt":"2011-01-30T13:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/?p=25351"},"modified":"2011-01-30T14:36:33","modified_gmt":"2011-01-30T22:36:33","slug":"taste-and-graphic-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/25351","title":{"rendered":"Taste and graphic design"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I\u2019ve been drawing my \u2018taste\u2019 chart on a white board for about six or seven years now. <\/p>\n

Taste<\/em> in graphic design is a concept I\u2019ve been aware of for a long time \u2013 but as I looked out at what other designers were doing, taste wasn\u2019t always a part of it. I kept seeing graphic designers who were stuck in one mode and not going any further.<\/p>\n

\u2018I know that\u2019 <\/em>\u2013 is typically the term that shuts down most creativity. I\u2019ve heard it from a lot of professionals in my field.<\/p>\n

Diversity<\/em> is the key to being a graphic designer today. Understanding concepts of other design industries \u2013 fashion, interior, architecture \u2013 even music<\/em> \u2013 takes one further.<\/p>\n

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So one day in a classroom, I spontaneously drew this \u2018taste\u2019 chart. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve since used it with clients, students and other designers to show different ways of approaching graphic design – so we\u2019re not all just sitting here with blinders on, our heads in the sand. <\/p>\n

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\u2018Taste cannot be learned\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard Nina Garcia (on Project Runway<\/a><\/em>) mention this a few times. And I don\u2019t agree with it. I think the first step in understanding \u2018taste\u2019 – which is ubiquitous with fashion design \u2013 is to realize it exists. <\/p>\n

Pictured above, questionable taste from Project Runway 8<\/em><\/p>\n

By nature, Taste is a qualitative thing. Intangible. Can\u2019t be quantified, easily explained. But fashion designers are tied to it, and it\u2019s a major part of design. <\/p>\n

One knows good taste when they see it.<\/em><\/p>\n

taste and retail<\/strong>
\nMy chart itself is a very simple construct \u2013 many people already understand it. As a consumer-based society that loves to shop \u2013 drawing a chart of department stores and their perceived \u2018taste\u2019 level is a good model.<\/p>\n

It works for department stores \u2013 most \u2018get it.\u2019 For those who don\u2019t \u2013 it\u2019s an eye opener. That there\u2019s something beyond just heading out to the local Kmart.<\/p>\n

To find the level, I put a \u2018liquor store\u2019 at the bottom. Closeout stores (such as Ross) aren\u2019t on the list, since they sell post-season merchandise. And my students typically know what goes where. Opinions, arguments: always welcome.<\/p>\n

It gets interesting when I discuss with students why certain stores hit at certain levels. And how the chart is constantly in motion.<\/p>\n

And how Nordstrom \u2013 piano and all \u2013 isn\u2019t at the very top.<\/p>\n

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\nTaste chart: click to view larger<\/em><\/p>\n

We talk about how Target and Kmart \u2013 which were basically the same store – managed to move up and down the chart. Kmart pioneered bringing in designers (such as Joe Boxer<\/a> and Martha Stewart<\/a>) but Target perfected it (starting with Michael Graves<\/a>), using good design as a basis for just about every product they now carry.<\/p>\n

Walmart is an interesting anomaly \u2013 in that they\u2019ve recently become self-aware. High end designers at Walmart didn\u2019t work. And there\u2019s been tons said<\/a> about how Walmart has destroyed the American Way of life.<\/p>\n

But Walmart gets it. Dropped the MERICAN STAR from their logo, replaced it with a sunburst symbol (which I refer to as an asterisk\u2013 which one student said \u2018means their batting average is in question\u2019<\/em>) and a tag line that really symbolizes who they are right now.<\/p>\n

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When talking about the very top I reference the brilliant sweater scene from Devil Wears Prada<\/a><\/em> (2006), below. It IS how design works. Someone creates something incredible and it works its way down to the everyday consumer. This happens in all industries – sometimes the inspiration leads to great things,<\/a> other times, not so much.<\/a> <\/p>\n

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How everything falls into place on the chart leads to a long discussion. <\/p>\n

Why JCPenney<\/a> isn\u2019t what it used to be and how Macy\u2019s \u2013 which once competed with Nordstrom \u2013 is dropping fast. I rant about how Macy\u2019s should NOT have a queue when it comes to purchases. THAT \u2013 and an overall cheap approach to their in store merchandising \u2013 is dropping them fast.<\/p>\n

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sidebar: apple<\/strong>
\nApple in 1995<\/a> and Apple in 2011<\/a> is worth looking at. <\/p>\n

And what Apple did to move up the chart so fast. It has a lot to do with candy coating<\/a> and taking a technology company into the realm of high end fashion. Today Apple stores are boutiques. Alongside Burberry, Louis Vuitton. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been asking classes (for years now): \u2018Who’s owned an iPod?\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Who’s owned a Zune?\u2019<\/em> Non-scientifically, about 2 percent of my classes will have Zune owners, 90% are in the Apple camp.<\/p>\n

Steve Jobs knows how to leverage taste in design. And it works very well.<\/p>\n

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how I use the taste chart<\/strong>
\nI have clients in multiple industries \u2013 so I have to hit the mark, not just go with what \u2018I like.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

I use the chart to start discussions \u2013 about what design really can do. More than just \u2018here\u2019s a logo, slap it on something.\u2019<\/em> I\u2019ve used the chart with clients, often just scribbling it on a piece of paper. <\/p>\n

It helps define where the work should be headed \u2013 who the client\u2019s audience is vs. what the client\u2019s tastes may be. Gets both client and myself to buy off on what direction the design should take.<\/p>\n

Designer Gerry Simpson puts it this way: \u2018Don\u2019t let your personal taste get in the way of your work.\u2019 <\/em>If your taste isn\u2019t in sync with the audience you\u2019re designing for \u2013 the results won\u2019t be there. <\/p>\n

One HAS to change their taste to fit the project. Gloria Vanderbilt\u2019s tastes are a bit different than the audience she designs for.<\/a> And Alexander McQueen\u2019s own wardrobe was more humble than his couture work (below).<\/p>\n

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learning taste<\/strong>
\nAbsorb. All one can. Inspiration can come from anywhere.<\/p>\n

My blog is all about showing design in its many forms. With many different levels of taste. Read blogs, read books, magazines. I get a lot of inspiration by just grabbing what I find at a newsstand. (And I prefer other Vogues<\/a><\/em> over the US model. Surprising to note: US Vogue<\/em> has such surprisingly bad typography.)<\/p>\n

Inspiration is everywhere. Taking that inspiration and zeroing in on what will work for the job is part of these levels of taste.<\/p>\n

And knowing if you\u2019re designing for a \u2018Walmart\u2019 level audience, a \u2018Bloomingdales\u2019 approach simply isn\u2019t going to cut it. And vice versa.<\/p>\n

In graphic design, being at the wrong taste level: \u2018The message isn\u2019t going to communicate to its intended audience.\u2019<\/em> <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the point of failure.<\/p>\n

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