There are two stages in producing
a winner: getting the right idea,
and getting the idea right.
Secrets of Design
Relevance
Onourbestdays,wewantourworktorivalthebeautyweadmireinnature.Naturalbeauty,shapedbyeonsofevolution,isneverarbitrarybutcompletelyrele-vanttosurvival.Theformandcolorofflowersdeterminetheirpowertoattractinsects,whiletheformandcolorofinsectsdeterminethedegreeofsafetythey’llfindincamouflage.Similarly,ourbestworkreachesforthatstatewhereformservesapurpose,makesourdesigndowhatisintended.TheclassicalGreeksstudiednature’slawsofbalanceandsymmetry,applyingtheirdiscover-
Critique WINTER 199718
verygreatdesignisbuiltonacentralimpossibil-ity.Theproblemisphysicalandthepiecescan neverfit.Yetthecuriousmindthatdiscoveredthe
puzzlerefusestobedefeated—itbolstersthepartsthatwork,tinkerswithpartsthatdon’t,turnsitupsidedownandinsideoutuntilthethingmagicallyliftsintospaceandbridgesthechasmbetweensenderandreceiver.Thefinisheddesignseemssobeautiful,sorightforitspurposethatthebalingwire,ducttape,andwishfulthinkingonlyaddtoitsmajesty.
e
19Critique WINTER 1997
by Marty Neumeier
Ingraphicdesign,too,conceptsrarelyspringforthfullyformed,ladenwithnatural,inevitablebeauty.
Beforeaconceptcanbeexpectedtodomeaningfulwork,thewildlydivergentneedsofclient,designer,andaudiencemustbebridledandreinedandbroughtontothebit.Thedesignmustbehammered,fitted,andforgeduntilalltheworkingpartsmeshwithagracefulinevitabil-itythatbeliesallthesweatytinkering.Then,andonlythen,canthecommunicationresonatewiththatmagicalqualitycalledrelevance.☞
iestoevery-thingfromarchi-tecturetoequitation.In 400b.c. thecavalrycommanderXenophonwrote,“Anythingthatisforcedormisunderstoodcanneverbebeautiful.”Yethenevermentionedhow,exactly,toavoidforceandmisunder-standing.And,asanyonewhohasmasteredhorseman-shipwilltestify,there’snothingnaturalaboutit.Riding,likeanyartform,canneverbecompletelyfathomedandoftenrequiresanactoffaithtobeginatall.
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called“misoneism,”wassaidtoexistasaprotectivedevice.Headdedthat“civilizedman”reactstonewideasinmuchthesameway,donningpsychologicalblindersasprotectionfromtheshockofthenew.Butwhetherwefeelshockoronlycuriositywhencon-frontedbyanewmessage,wesoongetoverit,acceptingorreject-ingthenewinformationonthebasisofrelevancetoourlives.
A machine for communicating.
Mostdesignersagree:graphicdesignisnotfineart.Itmaybeart-fullyrealized,itmayevenincludeart,butit’sstillakindofcommu-
nication.Thesecretofcommunicatingliesinmakingmeaning;indesign,unlikeinfineart,“artforart’ssake”onlyweakensadesign’spotentialtocommunicate. Similarly,adesignbasedonaestheticsorstylealoneisdoomedtofailureor,atbest,semi-success.Style-baseddesigntriestobesomething,whilemean-ing-baseddesigntriestodosomething—explainacon-cept,identifyacompany,changeanopinion,persuadeashoppertobuy.Graphicdesign,ifrelevant,becomesamachineforcommunication.Itstrivesforthehigh-estlevelofperformance.Itcontainsnoextramovingparts.Anditsolvesrealcommunicationproblemswith-outunnecessaryembellishment.ErnestHemingwayoncesaidhelearnedtodistrustembellishmentthesamewayhelearnedtodistrustpeopleincertainsitua-tions.MarkTwainfeltthesame:“Whenindoubt,”hesaid,“strikeitout.” AtthedesignfirmofSamataMasoninChicago,GregandPatSamatabelievethekeytorelevance
isasolidunderstandingoftheclientorganization.“Wehavetoknowthecompany’sbusiness,theintricaciesoftheindustry,whattheirstrategiesare,andwhowe’retryingtocommunicatewith,”saysGreg. “Wecan’tcreateappropriatemessagesifwe’reworkinginthedark,”agreesPat.“Withannualreports,forexample,it’simportanttoknowwhat’shappeningwiththecompany.ManyCEOsdon’tknowexactlywhattosayintheirreports—orhowmuchtoreveal.” “Wefoundthattellingitlikeitis,tellingthetruth,isalwaysthebestapproach.Behonest,keepitsimple,don’ttrytoembellish—thatinitselfisappropriatebehavior,”saysGreg.“Everyyearwecollectthreeorfourthousandannualreportsandlinethemup.Wefindveryfewareappropriate.Veryfewareuniquetothecom-paniesthatissuethem.Forexample,oneyeartherewere640globesonthecovers.And325eagles.Otheryearswemightseeacertainsoftwaretechniquetakingover.”
Where does relevance reside?
Inthelargestsense,relevanceisthequalitythatdetermineswhetherapieceofcommunicationis“working.”It’snotaningredient,likefresh-groundpepper,thatcanbeaddedattheendofthecookingcycle.Youcan’tsimplyselectthelatesttypeface,hireahotillustra-tor,tossinacoolnewcomputereffect,and—voila!—relevance.Themagichappensnotonthepagebutinthemind. AccordingtoCambridgephilosopherC.D.Broad,theprimaryroleofthehumanbrainistoblock outinformation.“Eachpersonisateachmomentcapableofrememberingallthathaseverhap-penedtohim,andofperceivingeverythingthathaseverhappenedeverywhereintheuniverse.Thefunctionofthebrainandnervoussystemistoprotectusfrombeingover-whelmedandconfusedbythismassoflargelyuselessandirrelevantknowledge,byshuttingoutmostofwhatweshouldotherwiseperceiveorrememberatanymoment,andleavingonlythatverysmallandspecialselectionwhichislikelytobepracticallyuseful.” Youcanwatchyourownbrainblockingoutinfor-mationasyoushopforgroceriesinthesupermarket.Youpushyourcartdowntheaisle,scanningtheshelvesforthosefewproductsthatare“likelytobepracticallyuseful.”Meanwhile,30,000otherpackages,designedtobeespeciallyintrusive,somehowescapeyourattention.Why?Notbecausethey’retooquietlydesigned,butbecausethey’reirrelevanttoyourimme-diateneeds. Acommonshortcuttorelevance,asortofback-stagepasstothebrain,isthepromiseofnewness.Theguardiansofourconsciousnesstendtoletnewnesscomestraightthroughbecauseyouneverknow—itmightbeimpor-tant.Thuswecontinuetoreadnewspaperheadlinesandlistentogossip,andweevengivethoselittleredsnipesonsupermarketpackages—NEW!—thebenefitofthedoubt.Butnewnessinitselfisnoguaranteeoflastingsuccess.Ifthenewnesswe’vebeenpromiseddoesn’tfillaneed,weeventuallyrejectitasirrelevant. Onedangerwedesignersfaceisourprofessionaladmirationofthenew.Weappreciatethedifficultleapsofimaginationrequiredbythecreativeprocess;westretchourmentalmusclestomeetorbeattheachievementsofourpeers;we’reeventemptedtograbatpass-ingfadstoinfuseourworkwithsomething—anything—fresh.Butwhatwesometimesforgetisthatouraudiencesdon’tnecessarilyshareourcreativeenthusiasm. CarlJung,inMan and His Symbols,postulatedthatourmindsresistthenewandunknown.Hecitedanthropologicalstudiesofprimitivepeopleinwhichadeepandsuperstitiousfearofnovelty,
Design,
if relevant,
becomes a
machine for
communication.
It strives for
the highest
level of per-
formance.
Critique WINTER 199720
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“Ortrendyphrases,”saysPat.“Oneyearitwasvalue added.”“Orgrowth in the global marketplace,”addsGreg.“Andbuild-
ing shareholder value.”SaysPat,“Clientsstarttofeelthatcertainthemesareappropri-
atesimplybecausethey’veseenthemsooften.Butwefeelthatbecausetheseoverusedthemeswon’tallowthemtostandout,bydefinitionthey’reinappropriate.”
AddsGreg,“Themarketplacetodayistotallynumb.Whetherit’sannualreports,advertising,evennewmedia,thepublicisdel-ugedwithsomuchvisualmaterialthattheycan’ttellgoodfrombad,factfromfiction.Butarelevantconcept,ifcar-riedthroughproperly,hasagoodchanceofgettingyourmessagethrough.Especiallyifyoucantakeittoalevelbeyondmereeffectiveness.”
When in rome, use times roman.
Differentaudiencesrequiredifferentgraphiclan-guages.Messagesthatrivetoneaudiencemaybaffleanother.Aristotlewrote,“Agoodstylemust,firstofall,beclear.Itmustnotbemeanorabovethedignityofthesubject.Itmustbeappropriate.”
Asweexittheindustrialera,alongwithitsmass-marketeconomy,oursocietyisgrowingmorediverse.Everythingfromlifestylesandproductstotechnolo-giesandthemediaisbreakingintosmallergroupsandsubgroups,eachwithitsownnarrowinterests.Ourclients,ratherthantryingtobeallthingstoallpeople,arelearningtofocustheirmessagesaspreciselyaspossibleontheaudiencestheywanttowin.Andwedesignersmustlearntospeakthestyle-languagesofthoseaudiences.
ChrisPullman,designdirectorofWGBHinBoston,hasbecomesomewhatofanexpertonaudiences.Hisorganization’s“productline”includesawidevarietyofpublic-televisionprograms,eachaimedatadifferentagelevelorinterestgroup.
“Relevanceisarichsubjectforme,”saysPullman.“Eachpro-gramatWGBHhasadifferentsubjectandadifferentaudience—andthereforeadifferentstyle.Thequestionis,howcanabusinessthatthrivesonheterogeneouscontentachieveameasureofcontinu-ity?FromthebeginningIrealizedtheanswerlaybeyonddevelop-ingasetofcolorsoratypographicstyleoraconsistentgrid.Wehadtogoupstreamtomorefundamentalissues.Weendedupwiththreecriteriabywhichwemeasurethesuccessofeachdesign:Isitclear?Isitaccessible?Isitappropriate?”
Appropriatenessdependsalotonattitude,explainsPullman.“Adesignthatcomesontoostrongisofteninappropriate,unlessit’s
forarock-and-rollprogram,inwhichcaseIwouldwantittocomeonstrong.Iwouldwantittobein-your-face,tobeedgy.Eachdesignneedstohavetherightpersonalityforitspurpose.
“Thesecondaspectofappropriatenessisstyle—thephysicalorvisualformofthecommunication.Giventheaudienceandthemessage,whatshouldthepiecelooklike?Peopleinthesixtiesstaredatpsychedelicpostersasifthey’dbeensentfromMars.Buttotheintendedaudience,thelime-greenandDay-Gloorangeletteringwaslikeanin-grouphandshake,acodethatwaseasilydecipherablebythecognoscenti.
“Thethirdaspectisresponsivenesstotheparame-tersofthejob.DoIhaveenoughtimeandmoney?AmIexpendingtoomucheffortornotenough?IfI’mdesigningaposterforademonstrationatTiananmenSquare,Ineedtorespectthelimitationsofthejob.I’mnotgoingtodoalotofroughs,orsquareitupper-fectly,orprintitinsixcolors.I’mgoingtograbsomecardboardandsomepaintandwhackitout.That’stheappropriatesolutionforthejob.”
Thefinaltestofappropriateness,Pullmancon-cludes,isprecedent:“Doesitknowitsownhistoryandfitintoitsfamily?There’susuallysomethingthatwentbeforeorsomethingthathastofollow.Designdoesn’texistinavacuum.”
Fighting the good fight.
Ifitweresimplyamatteroftickingoffcriteriaonachecklist,relevancewouldbeeasytoachieve.Butrelevancehassubtlefoes.
InSanFrancisco,designerMichaelMabryfeelshemustbattlemarketforcesthatminimizethedesigner’srole.“Someclientstendtobuydesignthewaytheybuyashirtorapairofslacks—theyselectyouforyourlook.Theopportunitytodiscoverasolutionbeyondthelimitationsofstyleisstrippedfromyou.Youbecomeasortofproduct.
“MyfriendswonderwhyIdon’tjustslapaprefabricatedstyleoneveryproblemandcallitaday,”continuesMabry.“ButI’vealwaysthought,perhapsnaively,thatadesignershouldbeabletosolveanyproblemhesetshismindto.Thedownsideisthatit’smoredifficulttobuildareputationwhenallyourjobslookdifferent.
“Somedesignersbelieveyoucanbecomeastarifyoubuildyourcareeronaconsistentstyle,”saysMabry.“Butthatbeliefcanleadyoudownsomepatheticpaths.Thenextthingyouknow,you’retryingtosellyourclientsdesignsthataren’tintheirbestinterests,justtogetpiecesyoucanshowyourpeers. That’swhyclientsdon’t
21Critique WINTER 1997
Our clients
are learning
to focus their
messages as
precisely as
possible on
the audiences
they want
to win.
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Critique WINTER 199722
A risk-taking design for Lincoln
National positions the company
as a mover and shaker in the
notoriously cautious insurance industry.
The bold imagery and unconventional
layout would stand out in any stack of annual
reports. Greg Samata and Erik Cox, designers;
Sandro Miller, photographer.
It’s a rare design firm that can bring
high style to industrial companies.
In SamataMason’s 1991 annual report
for a dental supply company, X-rays
serve as startling—yet undeniably
relevant—illustrations. Greg Samata
and Dan Kramer, designers; Victor
Penner and Dennis Dooley, photogra-
phers; Gendex Corporation, client.
23Critique WINTER 1997
SamataMason’s 1995 annual
report for AptarGroup leaves no
doubt about the company’s
product line: pumps, clo-
sures, and aerosol valves.
Pat Samata and Greg
Samata, designers.
The 1994 annual report for IMC Global,
a worldwide supplier of crop nutrients,
uses photos of food plants on watercolor
backgrounds to evoke feelings of
freshness and purity. Greg Samata and
Dan Kramer, designers; Edward Krigsman,
illustrator; Glen Gyssler, photographer.
Critique WINTER 1996??
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Critique WINTER 199724
An institutional brochure tells the story
of WGBH, complete with scores of facts.
For example, did you know that the GBH
stands for Great Blue Hill, the location of
their radio transmitter? Gaye Corbet
and James Augusto, designers.
A small-format brochure for an
animated show called Arthur!
(for ages 3–8) was designed to
attract corporate sponsors.
Alison Kennedy, designer.
“Each program, or ‘product,’ at WGBH
has a different subject, audience, and style
of storytelling,” says VP of design Chris
Pullman. “Each is given its own treatment,
from the program itself right through to
the promotional materials.” For viewers
of their Carmen Sandiego game show
(ages 9–14), the WGBH group designed
a sheet of tear-off trading cards. Ellis
Gianocostas, Christopher Moisan, and
James Augusto, designers.
25Critique WINTER 1997
Press kit and stationery for a ten-
episode series on the history of rock
music.“Rock” is printed on the front
of the envelope; “& Roll” is printed on
the back. Gaye Corbet, designer.
A brochure for Nova explains how
high-school science teachers can
coordinate their curriculum with on-air
programs. Bound inside is a copy of
Novazine, a magazine designed by
WGBH to get students excited about
science. Doug Scott, designer.
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Critique WINTER 199726
Sometimes the best solution is the
most obvious one, as with this low-
tech packaging for an orange-liqueur
pound cake from El Paso Chile
Company. What makes it unique is
Mabry’s tangy illustration.
Michael Mabry designed the Mon
Jardinet identity and soap packages
to look vaguely antique—and very
French. The name Mon Jardinet came
from poet Paul Verlaine, who likened
the human heart to a small garden.
Critique WINTER 1996??
A Fila giveaway poster designed by
Mabry for the 1996 Summer Olympics
manages to arouse patriotic feelings
despite—or maybe
because of—its nos-
talgic self-mockery.
Scott Cimock, art
director; John Huet,
photographer.
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27Critique WINTER 1997
Michael Mabry’s bottle graphics for
Eau du Matin—a light fragrance made
from all-natural ingredients—create
an interesting space between the black
type, which is printed onto the front,
and the frosted type, which is etched
into the back.
The Mabry-designed Golden Shears
Award, bestowed by Focus Magazine
and Absolut vodka on the year’s
most outstanding fashion designer,
can be viewed as a pair of scissors or
a human figure. Matthew Drace,
art director.
A tabloid-size brochure for Metro
Furniture, a stylish subsidiary of
Steelcase, was designed by Mabry to
look very different from the materials
issued by its straitlaced parent.
An outdoor poster (above) for
Levi’s SilverTabs makes you want to
try on a pair yourself, while adhesive
tags (below) save the trou-
ble of pulling each pair
out to see which style
is which. Accordian-fold
brochures (above left
and right) establish the
hip image of the brand.
Aubyn Gwinn and
Michael Mabry, design-
ers; Albert Watson,
photographer.
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Critique WINTER 199728
Pirtle’s 1994 annual report
for Nine West Group
reflects the black-and-white
color scheme of Nine West
store environments. Three mini-
booklets, each representing
a different line of shoes,
are bound inside the report.
The National Audubon Society’s 1995
annual report, designed by Pirtle, has the
look and feel of a wildlife guidebook.
PH
OTO
S: R
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AR
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“A design solution should be graphically
pleasing on some level,” says Woody Pirtle,
“but it should also talk to the
audience.” His packaging for Flying Fish
Brewing Co. is built on a sassy trademark;
even the beer glasses tell you
when it’s time for a refill.
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Critique WINTER 1996?? 29Critique WINTER 1997
Ad for Watch City Brewing Co., a micro-
brewery located in the former clockmaking
town of Waltham, Massachusetts. The beer-
filled pocketwatch, designed by Pirtle,
serves as the client’s logo. John Klotnia and
Seung-il Choi, designers.
A dream-like poster for UCLA’s
summer schedule promises
the ultimate Southern California
learning experience. Woody Pirtle
and Seung-il Choi, designers.
The jacket and book design
for PaineWebber Art Collection:
bold typography in the spirit
of 20th-century art. Woody Pirtle,
designer; Rizzoli, publisher.
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relevance Checklist
A concept can be exciting, fresh, or imaginative, but unless it meets the requirements for relevance it can never attain maximum effectiveness. Try testing your next design solution against the following criteria:
readability.Canyourdesignbedecipheredbytheintendedaudience?Differentaudienceshavedifferentexpectations.Forexample,apersonshoppingforacomputerwillhavelesspatienceforambi-guitythanapersonreadinganartmagazine. effort.Doesyourdesigntrytoohardornothardenough?Noteveryassignmentoffersscopeforbrilliance.Bythesametoken,aseriousmessageshouldn’tbedashedoffasifitwereamemo.Theamountofeffortshouldmatchtheimportanceofthejob.
Looks.Whichvisualstyleismostappro-priateforcommunicatingthemessage?The“look”orstyleofthedesigniscrucialnotonlyforattractingtherightaudiencebutforintensifyingthemes-sage.Itshouldspringfromtheconceptandnotfromthelatestgraphicfashion. economy.Isyourdesignresponsivetothebudget?Ifyouknowyourproductionlimitationsfromthestart,youcandesignaccordingly.There’snothingworsethanhavingyourfour-colorcon-ceptapprovedasatwo-colorprintingjob.
Voice.Doesyourdesignhavetherightpersonality?Everymessageshouldprojecttheattitude,bearing,andtoneofvoiceofitssender.Imaginethecompany,product,orserviceasapersonwithuniquepersonalitytraits,andletyourdesign“speak”withthatperson’svoice.
Antecedence.Doesyourdesignfitwithinitsfamily?Veryfewjobsexistontheirown.Instead,theymustreflectthecharac-teristicsofpreviousdesignsorsetthestageforsequels.Evenone-offdesignscanbenefitfromyourknowledgeofpreviousworkinthesamecategory.
Need.Doesyourdesignanswerthebasicneedsofthejob?Inarushtodosophisticatedwork,wesometimesforgettosolvethefundamentalproblemsoftheassignment.Makesureyou’renotbringingaBibletoagunfight. timeliness.Cantheworkbecompletedinthetimeallotted?It’sbettertoproposeasimpledesignyoucanfinishthanacomplexdesignthatputsthedeadlineatrisk.Designerswhomasterthisprinciplebecomefast,reliable—and,insomecases,wealthy.
trustdesigners.Sure,youmightbecomefamouswithinthedesignfield,butit’sahighpricetopayforsuchpaltryfame.It’sbettertobegoodatyourcraft,exceedyourclient’sexpectations,andhavesomefunalongtheway.”
WoodyPirtle,apartneratPentagraminNewYork,agreesthatawardshowsmaybeluringdesignersawayfromrelevance.“WhenIwasjuststartingout,likemanyyoungdesigners,Iwasconcernedwithgettingpublishedandwinningawards.ButIalsobelievedthattowinanawardadesignhadtoberelevant.Today,withsomuchworkcompetingforawards,apiecehastostandoutfromthemain-streamjusttogetnoticed,whichmakesiteasierforirrelevantworktogetin.”
Anotherobstacletorelevance,saysPirtle,isthecomputer.“Alotofyoungerdesignersseemtobeusingtechnologyasasubstituteforideas.Technologyhassomehowbecometheidea.I’mhopingourcomfortlevelwithcomputerswillincreasetowherewecanconcentrateonsimple,clear-thinkingcommunication,unencum-beredbybellsandwhistles.
“Thisisnottosuggeststyleisn’tamajorcomponentofdesign,”Pirtleadds.“Itcertainlyis.Butthestyleofadesignshouldfittheclient,theclient’spositionontheconservative-liberalcontinuum,andthenatureofthestory.Thenyoucanchoosetheappropriatestylistictoolstotellthatstory.I’mluckyenoughtobeabletodrawandcreatemyownimages.Withtheabilitytovisualize,thestylecanbedrivenbytheconceptandnotbymylimitations.Itgivesmeanumberofwaystorealizethesameidea.”
ChrisPullmanseestwomainpitfallsinthepursuitofrelevantdesign.“Oneishabit,whereinsteadoflookingateachjobwithfresheyeswerelyonourpreconceptions.Theotherisoriginalityforitsownsake,withoutreferencetotheotherdimensionsofappropriateness.”
TheSamatasaddtwomoretrapstothelistofdangers:fadsandfears.Theywarnclientsanddesignersnottomistaketrendsfortimelesstruths.“Thegaugeofrelevanceiseffectiveness,”saysGreg,“notsafety.”
“Clientsareoftenafraidtosticktheirnecksout,”addsPat.“Butwheneveryouseeagreatdesign,it’sbecausesomeonesomewherewaswillingtotakeachance.Don’tavoidrisk.Don’tbeafraidtoshowyourbestwork.”
Unliketheperfectbalanceofnature,truebalanceindesignisdifficulttoachieve.Thebestworkcomesfromthebalancingoftwoopposingstances:therebelliousmindthatbreaksrulesandresistseasyanswers—andtherelevantmindthatseeksrightnessandfitnessofpurpose.Thehardwork—andtherealrewards—comewhenbothareusedtothefullest.
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