Comments on: The Secret They Don’t Tell You in Graphic Design Class

By: Alex`

Alex` — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:35:50 +0000

Great post! I think you can make a more general statement.

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:11:52 +0000

Great post! I think you can make a more general statement.

By: nuke

nuke — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 22:58:52 +0000

your style is what is attractive…what give’s the attention…but it’s the product that makes them realize and sit back an look at the quality of the art and the product together….Collaboration

By: Steve Jarvis

Steve Jarvis — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:38:40 +0000

My design teacher hammered into his students heads “Form follows function” meaning when solving a design problem… function is the first and most critical element to be solved. So I guess some design schools out there get it.

By: The pen is not mightier than the sword

The pen is not mightier than the sword — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:29:18 +0000

[...] Reminds me of something at Bokardo: Our initial reaction, usually a superficial one based solely on looks, is vaporized upon use. If it doesn’t work well, then no matter how impressive your graphics are, it doesn’t matter. (think about all of the graphic design done for American-made cars) [...]

By: beth

beth — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:10:52 +0000

I’m afraid I need some context here to fully understand where your article is coming from. Did you major in design at school or no?

By: Finland

Finland — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:52:07 +0000

It was a very good article - but let’s all keep in mind, sooner or latter everything becomes relative. Take for instance the pet rock and other such “gimmick’s”. Yea - we can say that rules “apply” but sometimes (maybe most of the time) it’s just luck. Maybe (like the saying goes - the chicken or the egg) we come up with all the “instruction” because something “worked” and we try to explain how it “did” work. When in reality it was just luck in the first place. Just something to think about…..

By: Jason Martinez

Jason Martinez — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 03:38:27 +0000

I think you’re right, absolutely. I also thing the direction you’re going will end at the fact that design should be transparent. Not unimportant but a user should be able to say that the site was easy to use. That should be the tell tale sign of great design. Designers of course hate hearing this because they feel that their design is not noticed, which is in part true. But with the web as a medium, most sites are tools or publications, not strictly art. We can see the same problems in the advertising field. Although it had matured past this for the most part, especially television advertising, it took a long time to get there.

By: The Secret They Dont Tell You in Graphic Design Class | blog.ftofani.com

The Secret They Dont Tell You in Graphic Design Class | blog.ftofani.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:44:15 +0000

[...] Eu dei um Digg nesse artigo há um tempo e hoje resolvi ler novamente e continua valendo muito a pena. read more | digg story [...]

By: Nils Davis

Nils Davis — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:57:57 +0000

Great post! I think you can make a more general statement. The linchpin to everything good is a working product. Annoying product + good design = annoying design. Good product + annoying design = good design (e.g., Craigslist).

To get to the “great” level, the bar gets higher - the product has to be great, and the design has to be great. (The iPod is canonical for this, as is Tivo.)

The bottom line requirement that the product works - that it does what it’s supposed to do and what the user needs it to do - is something I harp on a lot both in my job as a product manager and in my blog.

By: Daniel Elmore

Daniel Elmore — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 00:15:20 +0000

graphic design exists in a bubble outside of the success of the product and that people will appreciate graphic design as long as it looks good

I’ve been trying to articulate that thought for months. Thank you for that.

By: Chas. Porter

Chas. Porter — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:21:44 +0000

The biggest problem facing graphic design today is that graphic designers still see their role as making stuff look nice. It’s not. All design is problem solving and the problem to be solved by all professional designers is “How do I make this product work better so that it sells more?” The advice, “Make sure you work on stuff that has the potential to work well” is sound advice for graphic design traditionalists, but it’s short-sighted given in the post-Internet world. Today the big opportunity exists for people with problem solving skills and experience who can make their client’s products work better and sell more. So, rather than running from a product with an innate flaw, designers should take the opportunity to reveal the problem, design the solution, and sell it to their clients. It’s what I do. It may not be pretty, but it’s kept this reformed graphic designer relevant and in demand as the world of marketing and design radically changed over the past ten years.

By: mobmash blog » Blog Archive » links for 2006-07-01

mobmash blog » Blog Archive » links for 2006-07-01 — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:23:52 +0000

[...] Bokardo » The Secret They Don’t Tell You in Graphic Design Class “When things work well, we see them in a new light. They become more attractive, more pleasurable, more desirable. Our opinion of them strengthens over time.” (tags: design) [...]

By: Sholom Sandalow

Sholom Sandalow — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 21:15:40 +0000

Great post. As they say…’nothing exists in a vaccum’. As a professional designer, I know that the key to a succsesful product is colaboration. Collaboration ensures that the product features the same equality in its use as it does in its look.