Designer of 2015 competencies
In order to fulfill the expectations placed upon designers in the future, they will need to employ a set of skills that include some beyond today’s typical scope. No single designer is likely to have all the skills required, yet this research revealed the range of competencies that a studio or design department, among its full complement of staff, will need in order to meet the demands of the future.
These competencies uncover the challenges for educational institutions, in developing curricula, and for studios, in recruiting their teams. The competencies are listed below in order of their ranked importance in the online survey:
Ability to create and develop visual response to communication problems, including understanding of hierarchy, typography, aesthetics, composition and construction of meaningful images
Ability to solve communication problems including identifying the problem, researching, analysis, solution generating, prototyping, user testing and outcome evaluation
Broad understanding of issues related to the cognitive, social, cultural, technological and economic contexts for design
Ability to respond to audience contexts recognizing physical, cognitive, cultural and social human factors that shape design decisions
Understanding of and ability to utilize tools and technology
Ability to be flexible, nimble and dynamic in practice
Management and communication skills necessary to function productively in large interdisciplinary teams and “flat” organizational structures
Understanding of how systems behave and aspects that contribute to sustainable products, strategies and practices
Ability to construct verbal arguments for solutions that address diverse users/audiences; lifespan issues; and business/organizational operations
Ability to work in a global environment with understanding of cultural preservation
Ability to collaborate productively in large interdisciplinary teams
Understanding of ethics in practice
Understanding of nested items including cause and effect; ability to develop project evaluation criteria that account for audience and context
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These competencies are required now. The overview above doesn't seem to shed any new light on the direction we are headed. This analysis seems a bit trite to me considering the starker reality, that in the real world, graphic design is becoming (if it isn't already) a marginalized commodity service to business. Most designers are implementers and makers of things. Only a handful of designers have any significant impact on their client's strategic business imperatives.
Seemingly, at the ubiquitous levels of people entering our profession at $35,000 per year, it will be hard to make a decent living practicing design in 2015. -
Couldn't agree more with Thomas Dawson's comment.
Thanks for providing for all to understand. -
The simple fact is that designers need to become more savvy in the strategy/business side of the field in order to remain relevant.
Clearly, being a 'maker' isn't going to cut it in 2009, much less 2015. -
I agree with monk. It's not just our industry that is faced with the shift from being the "maker" or the "craftsman" to becoming the "strategist" and the "innovator".
Regardless of whatever thing we've been paid to make up to this point, what we designers truly get paid for is our creativity and our ability to generate ideas.
In a flat, globalized world, there will always be someone who is able to "make a thing" cheaper and faster than someone else. But who decides what that thing should be? What it should look like? How it should function? How the intended audience experiences this "thing"?
In a word... designers.
Monk is right, thing "makers" are having a tough enough time in 2008 and will be less relevant in 2009. 2015 looks very, very grim for them by comparision.
When I first started my career in the late 80's, the "things" I created were print brochures. By the mid 90's, the "things" I created were web-based solutions. Today, the "things" I produce have a very wide range, from social networks to transactional websites to mobile applications to animated product demos.
The one consistent thread throughout that entire evolution was the understanding that my value to whomever was benefiting from my efforts had nothing to do with the type of "thing" I was creating. To be sure, it had much more to do with how well I was able to harness the skills listed above in order to produce creative solutions.
This will only accelerate in the coming years.
.chris{} -
I'm sorry but the list above is just a rehashing of everything I was told was important when I began Design School in 1998. Not surprising since I'm sure the majority of people poled for this (or those who bothered to respond to the pole), were much older than myself.
It is my opinion that the skills a good designer possesses, when harnessed and directed properly, can change the world. To me, a true 'Designer' with a capital D is quite simply, a director of change, since that is what we do. We /alter/clarify/define things. If we were utilized correctly in, say, national government and it's various offices, think of the good we could do in the fields of medical research, agriculture, education, city planning etc.
It's more about HOW we think rather than what we think ABOUT. And I completely agree with Chris on this point – in that we 'produce creative solutions.' Thus, I'm actually considering re-writing this entire thing to make a new one focussed on this outcome. I do think the world needs us to be in a different role in the coming years. -
Maybe it's because I come from a design oriented family, but as an audio professional with a background in music and sound design production, I'm rather intrigued with how these 'essential competencies' apply to my own industry. Well, of course they certainly do. Any creative marketing professional whose work or hobby includes both Adobe's design products and any given Digital Audio Workstation understands this immediately. Commercial music production and Design have always shared similarities, but perhaps now more so than ever.
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So, sounds like the consensus is we will be needing marketing degrees along with BFAs (if not MFAs) in order to stay ahead of (or rather stay in) the game??
I think the above list may not be that new, but they seem well thought out and not to be underestimated. We should only be so lucky to be able to provide all these "essential competencies", and I believe they hold more in them than at first glance. But the question is not so much the competencies of a good designer, but, as Dawson said, the "marginalization" of our industry in general. And I don't think this list is intended to really address that unfortunately, even though it is talking about the future.
I truly believe we're entering a time of more specialization, not broadening of skills.
A good designer in the 80's will be a good designer in the 15's if they are providing creative, unique, insightful and appropriate design solutions. Let's not forget, we are here to solve and communicate the clients problems, not further our own agendas and "change the world". Not every client wants to reinvent the wheel, nor needs to. Can you remember the last client you had that wanted something really NEW?...Only to turn right around and want to follow the heard. :\
I like idealists, but if we are to be more practical about this, I believe a good designer is hard enough to come by, then to also expect them to be marketing strategists as well. This is where a team comes in, and we can't all be a team. So what then? We can not be all things to all people. So stick with what you do best, network and improve your skills and keep questioning and learning, that's how you stay relevent. But is the industry changing so much that this no longer matters?
Bottom line... We sell ideas and solutions, and that's getting harder to do.
It's getting very difficult to convince potential clients of the value of our services, especially with the advent of the internet and cheap design to be had everywhere. I'd like to hear more about the impact of the "$200 logo sites" on our industry. -
As a designer who has been working for almost 5 years, I have been frustrated with the dichotomy between what I learned in school and what the reality of my working life have been. I have often felt that I am the hands for other people's ideas. Now that I am working in an in-house environment for a non-profit, I do feel more a part of the idea generation process, but still not fully satisfied.
All of this has led to my desire to go onto graduate school. Should I seek out a dual MFA/MBA degree? Does anyone have recommendations of good grad programs? -
I am going from a sales career to a design career. I have done sales for over 10 years and learned business and marketing hands on and without a degree. I have found that the day of "the portfolio is the only thing that counts" are over. Yes the portfolio counts, but so do business skills.
You have to sell, market, project plan, etc to be able to survive. Making $35K a year to make pretty pictures is not going cut it. Especially when you work can be seen anywhere by anyone on this planet who has an internet connection.
I was accepted to Art Center College of Design to start last fall. I declined to go because I realized that my $160K education was Doctor or Lawyer expense for a designers income. That needs to change. I think having getting my nose bloodied really helped me understand what it will take to have a world class, successful design firm. (I sold Insurance for 5 years. That is one of the hardest industries!)
Friends of mine and family have tried to discourage me from pursuing a design career, but have a goal and a vision that I feel a need to fulfill. I think EVERY designer needs to sell something other than design for a while before going out in the field.
The skills noted above are just the start. Maturity and a honed accumen will be required in the coming years. -
I truly enjoyed reading the comments above and felt the need to add a few of my own coming from a land far and different in culture such as Malaysia.
I felt a sense of relieve as well because the question of salary scales and opportunity is felt here at a desperate level because of the lack of importance placed on design.
Talking about the competencies and issues highlighted in the discussion, I felt a need to stress the importance of a user-centered design approach as there seems to be a lot of emphasis on "what the designer wants" versus what the client needs to increase sales for example.
I remind my students that narcissism in design can often lead to self-indulgence. Perhaps we are constantly seeking identity and creativity can often be mistaken for something different but the functionality of design compared to art for it's sake cannot be confused in commercial application of visual design.
I would like to highlight this competency; "Ability to be flexible, nimble and dynamic in practice"
It's obvious that the competencies are high level goals that need application in context. And that design though largely visual may involved the use of skills and go beyond the pure intention to be creative.
Without giving it a second thought, the competency above may be applied to a pianist or even a dancer. We need to ask ourselves, who it's for and why? -
This happenes already today
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Thanks for all the comments you guys have made so far. I have a degree in Spanish and PoliSci and I have been teaching English in Chile for about three years now. I'm looking into design as a future career because I find myself spending more and more time working on the visual and audio design of my materials and I have found myself enjoying that much more than the teaching itself.
One of the keys to whether I go into design or not depends on exactly what you are talking about, the need to have business saavy in order to stay afloat as a designer.
I wanted to make one observation before I pose the most important question. I am seeing a lot of talk to the tune of "nobody appreciates my work, people don't understand designers" and I think we need to take a step back and realize that people in almost every profession complain of the same thing. My dad is a mechanic and he's always complaining about do-it-yourselfers or customers who criticize when they should trust. With a degree in Spanish, I know how unnerving it is that people think translators could be replaced by computers. Working as a teacher, I know how people don't understand the planning and psychology involved in conveying knowledge. In short, if you feel that people don't appreciate what you do, it may be a good indication that you simply happen to be a professional.
Now, I have a very concrete question upon which my career decision hinges. Will I be able to sit down every day as a designer and design for at least 80% of my workday, or will I spend 80% of my time working on the business side? If it's the latter, than design is not for me.
One other point to consider is that of working as a team with other types of professionals and just having enough business knowledge as to know who to partner up with. Perhaps by appreciating and working as a team with other professionals, a designer can get back to doing that which is truly enjoyable. This is obviously an area which needs to be explored more. -
Dylan-- I am a similar story (but with only 2 yrs out of school), and I agree as someone who is trying to go from biz dev to design, this article seems to be speaking to a lot of the skills from the other side of the office we used to work on-- communicating both internally and with clients with a solid understanding of their business goals and culture, and helping them develop a sound strategy through good, sound design.
Valerie and Brian-- I am seeing MBA programs and design programs mixing more often, they are becoming a great choice (and an even greater challenge for those who may have more of one than the other), but the payout is you get easy access to highly sought after design positions open only to MBAs. Definitely an option I'm trying to pursue myself.
Todd-- I don't know how the design industry works in Chile, so I can only speak to one recent experience where that came up here in the US. In January, the agency I worked for told everyone on the creative end that as part of a new strategy, they absolutely need to be collaborating more with the sales folks, it's not just about going into client locations and designing with your iPod on all day, they need to be constantly connecting with the clients, dropping hints, helping to set up meetings and sneaking in suggestions. To answer your question- it's not 80% of your day, but if you're going to work in a small-medium design shop, you should be ready to pitch in wherever and whenever needed. -
"Bottom line... We sell ideas and solutions, and that's getting harder to do.
It's getting very difficult to convince potential clients of the value of our services, especially with the advent of the internet and cheap design to be had everywhere. I'd like to hear more about the impact of the "$200 logo sites" on our industry."
- valerie
I would like to know too.... -
The truth of matter is that the era of pretentious, cocky and anti-social designers is quickly coming to an end. Those who think that what they know and what they develop is the Holy Grail of the industry are up for a rude awakening; either you have the attitude of someone who cares for people genuinely, or you and your work will end up in the nearest trash can! You can be a great designer with a great job, or a great designer looking for one. There's a famous saying that is consistently utilized in leadership spheres that states, “No body cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."
Do you care? Are you willing to learn and also be a coach and a mentor, or do you hide your tips and tricks from people? Are you manageable? Are you a genuine team player who knows how to lead? Do you know how to keep your bragging rights under control?
Ready or not, the industry is quickly changing! Either we change with it or other people will fatten their bank accounts. The ball is in our court!
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