It's all about the words

I’ve worked two days a day my whole adult life as a designer. My career over all these years has taken lot of twists. The most notable? I’m writing more now. Still can’t spell as well as I’d like but it has gotten better. I was an artist as a kid - I knew what I was going to be and it didn’t require caring such boringness. At least that’s what I thought. Even if that were true, I wish someone would have found a way to hammer it into my young skull that is will still matter - that it was going to become an ongoing source of embarrassment. I think if I would have known this I may have tried a little harder. Then again I passed my tests, I just yawned at the thought that I may be learning something I’d one day want to remember.

These days I’m finally feeling like a mature human-being and writing has become less boring! I’m using it more to support my design stuff and I’m kinda stoked on it! I’m to the point now where I don’t have to explore the millions of design possibilities as much because the vision is already there when the design process is started. Meaning, purpose, belief - these are powerful things that make design almost secondary. Don’t get me wrong - I will always be a slave to my own standards of design, but when you have purpose and belief that are so meaningful that design can become secondary - design becomes easy - and I like that.

All these years later, I still am getting my ass kicked - chasing that perfect design. Yeah, I do have a few tricks I use to make life easier on the visual side, but it’s thinking it through in writing, not drawing that’s making the most difference. Design is literally more fun, and like I said - I require far fewer design comps to sell the concept - not just to others, but to myself! I also owe the fact that I have become something of a solid copywriter to the fact that as you develop a belief-based brand you realize real branding is more about the words than the symbols. Your focus shifts more toward brand thinking and your desire to articulate meaning makes you a better writer. As a designer that was a tough pill to swallow, but now I’m better at design, better at brand, and instead of making beautiful things, I make things of real value, that happen to also be beautiful.

Observation of culture and articulation of thought - these are what makes good design and the words alone, when organized properly can be contagious even before you add beautiful design.

Word.