I learnt something truly delightful last week: a greek paper, Eleftheros Tipos, was among the five best designed newspapers of the world for the past year. I’m glad E.T. design got awarded because I absolutely love its print design and I’ve been following its progress since its redesign first launched.
But when I recited the story to my family, my sister had an absolutely negative approach. She couldn’t believe how such a newspaper got an award, because according to her, E.T. is a very difficult to read and skim newspaper.
That brought back memories – noone cares about your design dude, remember?
Are we sure that what us, designers, consider a cool design, is a cool design for everyone else? No, I don’t think there is a perfect design that can work as a panacea and please all people, but still. A newspaper gets a design award, and a potential reader absolutely hates it. Why?
I don’t take myself off this – when I see something I can’t have a professional opinion on, for example some print ad or poster that’s considered well designed, 90% of the times I’m like, wtf. People like this? The fake Bauhaus effect and diagonal lines? These usually bore me to death. But other people seem to love them! What gives?
Where do we err? What should we do to design things that both our users and fellow designers will love?
Image courtesy of snd.org
one comment on this post
Svelon #1
23.Feb.09
I believe that the principles of design give once again the solution: a well designed “thing” is the thing that follows the user’s habits. Obviously your sister, just like most of the newspaper’s readers, is not used to that design. Most newspapers in the world, follow the same main design, and therefore people have got used to it and expect the same from every newspaper they read.
In my humble opinion the design changes should be used on slight details that give your personal mark on a well accepted pattern.
Awards are only for things that won’t give you customers. Just think of the “hands free tap”, I’m sure it’s got a handful of prizes…