Genre Design.

Okay, I guess you could kind of expect me to have this opinion, but I don't care what you think of me. This is about being a designer.

We were talking in class a few weeks ago about "genre design" which stemmed from a reading in Citizen Designer.
What is "genre design"?

I am under the impression after digesting our readings and conversations that it means the different classifications of design. Much like contemporary music is divided into genres of rock, hip-hop, jazz, indy, vocal, etc, etc, we can divide design into similar categories. Those categories are commonly known as fields like Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Architecture, and so on.

But honestly, what is the point?

Musicians are all musicians, who appreciate the music others make, and most of the music-savvy people I know tend to frown upon genre-classification. I think it has to do with creative expression, which is truly present in music. But in design, it seems (at least in my limited experience) that there need to be labels for some reason or another. I don;t want to talk about the reason for that right now, maybe later. In Design, Graphic Designers are so quick to label themselves as such because of the fancy ring it has to it, or the 'respect; they might recieve. I can see more significant divisions in the field of design when it comes to licensing, like getting a license to practice architecture in your community. But why else do we need to clarify what kind of designer we are? why does someone else have to?

It's bullshit.

Say I call myself a graphic designer. "I am a graphic designer". What does it infer in the minds of the people listening to me? It infers that I can set type appropraitely, use color, shape, image, message and content in a way I think appropriate for the project. Does it mean that I can not understand how a building is designed and how it contributes to culture? Or, on a more personal note, does "Graphic Designer" mean I don't have a good sense of scale, physically, and relationship issues in the physical realm? Does it infer to my audience that I don't care about my surroundings, my environment, my world?

I think it does.

I've met several people during my time at Architectural Metalworks that don;t understand why a (graphic)design student is interning at a design/build firm. Even architects don't get it. I like to think that I have a firmer grasp on the 3Dimensional world in my head than I do on print work, even if my portfolio or educational background says otherwise. I can blog on that later. But I think the important part of being a designer, which gets clouded out by the word always preceding it regardless of what word it is at the time, is that we can think in a largely visual way, using any means necessary to solve the given problem. Tyler introduced design as 'creative problem solving' during our sophomore year. I still feel like that is the most accurate description of what I (want to) do in life. Fuck if it is a printed poster for some concert or an identity system for a company I am passionate enough about to support, or a beautiful staircase, coffe table, DESK, or otherwise. If it serves a cultural, commercial, personal, aesthetic, or any need I deem valid, then why not pursue? Certainly not because I can't weld with a GD degree, but I could if I were, say, holding a degree in architectural design.

Okay, its late now. My concusion is this: Why label the way we think? It will inevitably effect the way we work, which effects our 'effectiveness' as cultural communicators, beauty providors, or whatever else I can't give a name to. Peace.