I think a lot about creating things. I also happen to create a lot of things I think about.
I’ve always been “big picture” kind of designer. Years ago I learned that by focusing on coming up with good ideas and high concepts, the design will tell you what it wants to be. This process has worked pretty well for the past quarter of a century.
To keep grounded in order to get the design knocked out, you have to pay attention to the details. Make sure all the pieces fit together properly. This is a tall task for Mr Big Picture.
Years ago I stumbled across a quote that has helped me keep my focus: “God is in the details.” I don’t remember where I first heard it. Paul Rand? I’ve seen it attributed to Mies van der Rohe, but I am pretty certain he ripped it off from someone else.
I’m not 100% sure how it has helped me. By focusing on the details, do I hope to get closer to God or to catch a glimpse of Him? As a Catholic, do I guilt myself into working the details?
Either way I do believe in the details. The slant at the end of the bowl of a lowercase Arial “e” drives me berserk. Someone had the audacity to defile the beautiful, geometrical elegance of Helvetica in such a barbaric manner.
But I digress…
It might not seem important or barely worth the bother, but these sorts of details are what separate you from the rest of the pack.
It can be frustrating because 99% of the population out there will not see those details, even when you point them out. Bu they’re not invisible, they’re just hidden in plain sight.
But those details are what makes you a Designer. Makes your work special.