Design is more like farming than art

There are places I go on the internet to get design inspiration.

I go to places like this and I browse and browse.

And I realize: good design feels like a commodity.

Everybody has a well designed site now. If they don’t, they will in the next 5 years.

Everyone knows how important design is. We see the success of Apple and Dyson. We’ve seen the articles. We feel the feelings that a well designed product elicits.

It’s like design and design thinking and thoughts on design and the importance of design and “55 reasons why your next CEO should be a designer” is everywhere.

Design, even good design, is a commodity now.

And I think to myself: maybe it always was.

Maybe design isn’t earth changing and ground shaking. Maybe it’s just a service, a product, a craft. Like being a farmer or a fisherman or a table maker.

Maybe we wake up in the morning not to “be disruptive” and get recognition and change the face of design, but to ply the oars, cast the nets, sand the edges, put another layer of lacquer, fix the kerning, and simply provide a service to the millions of organizations that need help with presenting themselves to audiences.