Why we compete... word vomit 09222015

In the world of design, the black and white of the problem and solution often seem fairly cut and dry.  Perception is everything, and any designer worth their salt will tell you, the subtle nuances defining the inumerous iterations are not what stand proud the ultimate solution and are very much perceived as a grey world.

When a need is presented by a client, the number of external variables added to the grey design begin to add many variations of color further complicating our proposals.  These variations are often mislabeled as drivers and will ultimately corrupt the original idea and solution.  

I once worked with a brilliant designers who was infamous for saying "design is the thing you provide, where you compromise your vision, the client compromises their goals and in the end everyone gets the thing no one likes."

For me, the competition is the place where one or many can assimilate the known quantities and in a vacuum devoid of pollution and overvalued drivers, deliver a PURE thought, that can be appreciated for what it is, not what it was manipulated to become.  Process is the catalyst and the endgame for a winning design solution isn't rooted in the minutia, but how well the process addressed problem.

WE compete to express the purest of thoughts on a known quantity devoid of pollution for public consumption.  Often hypothetical and not built, but satisfying nonetheless if for no other reason than to move the needle on otherwise conventional solutions.