Design is as important as driving

There are certain things you’re generally expected to be able to do as an adult in our society. Like balance your chequebook. Like drive. Why isn't graphic design one of them?

Seth Godin asks why you aren’t good at design. Yes, you, personally, right there! Don’t look around behind you!

(I)n a world where it is expected that professionals will be able to make beautiful powerpoint slides, handsome business cards, clever bio photos and a decent website, (design is) as important as driving. And easier to learn and do, and requiring less talent.

And because Seth is such a mensch, he created a quick little resource page at Squidoo.

This does raise the question of, “What is design?” Off the top of my head, I’d say it’s a working knowledge of typography, graphs and charts, colours, and layout. But this is a topic for deeper exploration in later posts.

I’ll also point out this TED talk to try to convince you of the importance of design. The bio accompanying the talk notes:

Jacek Utko is an extraordinary Polish newspaper designer whose redesigns for papers in Eastern Europe not only win awards, but increase circulation by up to 100%.