phaistonian

At early 2000s I was present in a speech given by a very respected and experienced person regarding his new plans as CEO of a company related to ours.

I was very surprised to hear that his plans were, among others, to turn all illustrators to (web) designers.

Well those words were such a surprise for me. I keep referring to that speech almost every time I go down the usual path of explaining why (in my humble opinion) design has very little to with illustration and beauty.

To me, design is the ability to use our mind efficiently, methodically and in conjunction with solid experience to create soul driven results used in every aspect of our work and life in general. Design is all about our souls.

On those preaching sessions with my colleagues (friends) at work I emphasize that a designer's first step is to get some initial clarity and peace in their work space. Keeping your desk and closet in place is a required step t to keep your mind in place. Since design is originated from mind, you need to keep your mind healthy by removing cluttering for one thing.

Learning how to code (in any given language) is easy. Learning how to Photoshop even easier. Learning how to design is not. Design requires more than learning.

Can we all design? Yes, I firmly believe we can.I believe we all design just by thinking and experiencing.

After all, we have inherited this gift by our Father, the most perfect and infamous designer of all; God.

Ps: I don't consider myself a designer. I am just (still) trying to get there.