If you've got a secret, for god's sake don't tell it to Michael Beirut 23 November, 2006
Adaptive Path: Conversation with Michael Bierut – Part I
It’s a dirty secret that much of what we admire in the design world is a byproduct not of “strategy” but of common sense, taste and luck. Some clients are too unnerved by ambiguity to accept this, and create gargantuan superstructures of bullshit to provide a sense of security. Not only do designers enthusiastically collude in this process, but many have found ways to bill for it.
Design Council: A very modern designer
There’s a dirty secret: that much of it is a God-given talent. As an instructor of design I come across students that don’t need help and others who can’t be helped. It’s an accident that kicks in at conception.’
My feeble attempts at humour aside, I’d certainly question the second ’secret’. Michael’s a graphic designer. It seems to me that there’s an implicit assumption in what he’s saying: graphic design is difficult, but anyone can teach. Michael takes the easy route by placing responsibility for the perceived problems of design education on genetics rather than looking inward. Indeed, you could read this as a public admission of failure by an individual design educator – I can’t stretch those that are good enough, and I can’t help those that aren’t.
We need many more designers and that’s something that can’t be left to chance. Let’s hope that it’s the ability to teach and inspire the next generation that’s not the god-given talent.