On (Design) Bullshit

The last few paragraphs of Bierut's article really sum it up. Massimo was not lying necessarily. He was merely packaging the presentation in a way that met the client's expectations of wanting it more French. Regardless of what profession one chooses, we all have to be salespeople to a degree. I find one of the best ways to sidestep objections is to convince the client that a design decision was their idea to begin with. Once you pin down some key needs and wants from the client, you can wrap those needs and wants around the rationale for making a specific design choice. For example, I once created a trade show display for an engineering firm. My solution was to do something primarily typographic, but before I pitched the idea, I nailed down some key needs. Their need was to showcase their four major fields of engineering practice: mechanical, structural, electrical, and fire protection. I then created some comps showcasing those 4 engineering fields strictly typographic. I proceeded to explain my rationale by making references to engineering and the need to prominently showcase these 4 engineering fields as the reason for the compositional and overall design choices. I then finished by asking them, "and this is what you wanted all along, correct?" By linking the design choice to their initial need, they got the impression that they were an important part of the design process and in a way, they were. The final is this geo-mechanical looking composition shown here.