» Why I Choose the Harder Route as a Designer

I am relatively certain that early on in my life I came to the conclusion that easy things are boring. I think my first memory of such an event has to be the Game Genie I owned for my Nintendo. Yes it made the seemingly impossible Metroid conquerable, however it also sucked the thrill out of the game. To the point that pausing to go grab a Sunny D was pointless, as I wouldn’t die even if the flying lava fish things hit me. NES flashbacks aside, I think there is something to be said for taking the harder route, gratification that would otherwise go unknown.

Harder Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Stressful

Many people avoid taking the more difficult path because they assume that it will impose more stress or agony, I disagree. “Challenging” should not be synonymous with “stressful” that avoids looking beyond the surface of any decision. Choosing the path of least resistance may help a person avoid conflict however it rarely ever leaves you with a sense of accomplishment.

Design is About the Harder Route

As designers we are constantly faced with decisions that beckon us to take the harder route. For example, here is a short list of everyday decisions faced by designers:

Should we defend our design decisions to the client or just make changes they suggest that we know will hurt the project?
Do we take the time to ensure a consistent vertical rhythm on the website or do we just avoid it because the client will never know?
Do we drastically under price the competition to obtain work, or do we work to showcase our unique skills and talents?
When faced with a tough project do we push through the creative block, or do we fall back on the same old solutions that feel comfortable?

When faced with these types of decisions I choose to take the more challenging route. There is nothing better than facing a challenge and knowing that you were able to achieve something new. From time to time failure is bound to happen, but when it does I know I have tried something worthwhile and did the best I could. And the next time I am faced with a similar problem I will most likely succeed because I learned along the way. Either outcome has to be better than avoiding the challenge all together, otherwise how can you expect to grow as a designer?

04/07

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10 Responses to “Why I Choose the Harder Route as a Designer”

Doug Waltman
April 7th, 2009 at 9:16 pm

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You’ve encouraged me to press on despite how difficult my choices can be as a designer. The right decision is almost always the hard one. This was my first read from your blog. I look forward to more.
Zinni
April 8th, 2009 at 7:57 am

Doug,

Thanks for the comment, I am glad that you enjoyed this article and welcome!
Cory
April 8th, 2009 at 9:11 am

Thank! Not just applicable to design, but as you said, almost every aspect of life. It’s nice to see the wisdom of the ages put into practice and vindicated.

“…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference”
-Robert Frost
Mike Malott
April 8th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

I enjoy this blog. I’m currently in school for Web Graphic Design but during my pursuit I constantly check back to this blog for inspiration and knowledge. Thanks.

Keep it up:)

Mike.
Tracey Grady
April 11th, 2009 at 12:15 am

This is an outlook which I share. I tend to very quickly grow bored of something once the challenge has gone (or never existed).

I don’t consider this as the harder route (although at times it can turn out that way) so much as asking myself more questions. With any design job, I keep asking questions of myself: about the project, the concept, what’s needed, what’s been overlooked, who’s the target and how will they be viewing this, etc. I don’t stop asking questions like these until I’m satisfied I’ve reached the answer. That’s the only way to get the best fit for the client and their customers/audience.
Conrad Bugeja
April 12th, 2009 at 9:05 am

Thanks for this post. Something I feel to add is that in design I don’t feel that I can produce mass workflow of work, for example I can code and code but with design I can’t just simply produce more than 1/2 designs a day.

and if I succeed in producing that much things become less creative
Web Design Quote
April 14th, 2009 at 4:34 am

Good article, something might seem difficult and challenging usually when you don’t have the grasp over it and the chances of failure are more, but on other hand the probability of learning something as a result increase, as you keep on doing new and innovative thing every time.