A recent post on Core 77 said some interesting things about something I am currently experimenting with. The article is titled Exploring the Dangers of Industrial Design Instagram Influencers resonates with a lot of my experiences, especially as someone, as a Product Design Engineer, with a foot supposedly in both the 'proper' engineering field and the less rational field of Industrial Design.
The article, which focuses on the superficial nature of instagram design snapshots, can be quoted as such:
The target of such posts is clear. Looking at three highly competitive Industrial Design hashtags, we can see an array of immediately impressive snapshots. While these are visually delightful on first impression, the article is right in the sense that they don't show the messy side of the design process:
Design sketching has been apparently been transformed from a helpful design tool for ideation into what can only be described as glorified cartoons. Wether these objects can be used or have any level of technical feasibility is beyond the point.
So is this a problem for those of us who define ourselves as 'serious' designers and engineers? No I don't think it is.
Firstly, there is no use complaining that others are gaining more popularity and success for achieving visual fame on a visual platform. When I made the above sarcastic comments about popular design, such as "Product Designs are useless unless their essence can be summarised in, at most, three slides and no text." I was partially correct. Designs will be more successful if they are good at communicating their own concept and intent concisely. If you are a 'proper' designer, then making additional effort into making sure your well thought out ideas are also better visually and conceptually, then you will be compared favourably. Otherwise you lose the instagram game.
On the other hand, If one is still stressed about the popularity of instagram designers, it is important to remember that the real battle is not being held on instagram. A couple of likes and a spread on leManoosh are not the highest achievements in the design world. The aspiring youth currently yearning towards spicy keyshot renders and speckled CMF will soon learn that the real battle, as it always has been, is in the domain of selling real products. In the real market, products must be visually proficient, yes, but they must also be manufacturable, cost effective, targeted and reliable. No one, not even Nick P Baker, can take that from the economy at large. It is here where only a real complete and holistic approach to the whole design process can win.
The article, which focuses on the superficial nature of instagram design snapshots, can be quoted as such:
"The problem here is that we're painting a complete illusion of what we do to the next generation of designers and reduce the job down to some beautiful renders or sketches."
The target of such posts is clear. Looking at three highly competitive Industrial Design hashtags, we can see an array of immediately impressive snapshots. While these are visually delightful on first impression, the article is right in the sense that they don't show the messy side of the design process:
Product Designs are useless unless their essence can be summarised in, at most, three slides and no text. Visual impact and conceptual simplicity are the most important things.
And it takes at most one week in order to get something sufficiently 'designed' so that it can be rendered in fully convincing photorealism.
Nick P. Baker might be currently the most infamous propagator of this instagram-lite design process. His designs have been apparently well received by the masses, giving him features on websites like Core77 and Yanko Design, but he is also ridiculed by the underworld of sarcastic pages such as @bluefoamdust and @konstantin_kritisch.
While some of his sketch pages are impressive, it is easy to see why he gets stick.
His ideas are maybe valuable for a couple of seconds, enough to leave a like, but clearly not thought through enough to merit any level of further 'exploration'. Interestingly, In the article I opened with, he left his own defence.
He makes his case based on the protection of using instagram to 'experiment and play around' and as a place for 'unfettered creativity'. And he does have a strong point. Instagram is a place to get away from the design day job and serves as a good platform for evening throwaway work and fun design dreams. However I don't think this is the strongest point we can draw out of this discussion.
I think the major annoyance to some is in the high visual fidelity of those design experiments. Nick P is clearly a very good illustrator, wether or not he puts more than 5 seconds of thought into a sketch isn't a major philosophical concern. The major strain of this discussion is not wether or not designers should be 'allowed' to explore design ideas on instagram (not that they could be stopped). The 'issue' is that his ideas look more impressive than they are. This is a major theme of many a successful instagram designer's feed.
Render weekly makes no apologies for encouraging rendering and visualisation only, and not focusing on the innate design credibility of any post. This can be generally seen across all of instagram, given that it is a visual medium, promoting visual results is the natural conclusion.
Firstly, there is no use complaining that others are gaining more popularity and success for achieving visual fame on a visual platform. When I made the above sarcastic comments about popular design, such as "Product Designs are useless unless their essence can be summarised in, at most, three slides and no text." I was partially correct. Designs will be more successful if they are good at communicating their own concept and intent concisely. If you are a 'proper' designer, then making additional effort into making sure your well thought out ideas are also better visually and conceptually, then you will be compared favourably. Otherwise you lose the instagram game.
On the other hand, If one is still stressed about the popularity of instagram designers, it is important to remember that the real battle is not being held on instagram. A couple of likes and a spread on leManoosh are not the highest achievements in the design world. The aspiring youth currently yearning towards spicy keyshot renders and speckled CMF will soon learn that the real battle, as it always has been, is in the domain of selling real products. In the real market, products must be visually proficient, yes, but they must also be manufacturable, cost effective, targeted and reliable. No one, not even Nick P Baker, can take that from the economy at large. It is here where only a real complete and holistic approach to the whole design process can win.