You are not an artist.
I don’t like the term graphic artist, in fact I think we should stop using it. If it’s on your business card – change it. Because while God has gifted you with artistic ability, viewing yourself as an artist hurts the end result. One of the definitions of artists shows why
a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
It’s the last part that ties me up “primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.” Too often it is easy for creatives to focus on how something looks. Shoot, if I’m at a restaurant, 9 out of 10 times I will order something with a picture. The visual part of our brain is always hot. But if it only looks good it, like this Pepsi ad, falls flat.
The art was directed well and it’s funny but does it make you want to pick up that glass of Pepsi and drink it? Not so much. They focused on making a cool ad and not making people desire Pepsi. Your goal should be to communicate, engage and motivate. Your artistic ability absolutely plays a part in this, especially as we look at art as
the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
but it can’t stop at looking pretty, push past focusing primarily on aesthetic and focus on creating communication that motivates and compels people to act and to change.
creative communicator <- sounds better to me.
Hi, devil’s advocate here. I wonder if it was a Diet Coke ad if you would feel the same way? You would still drink it because that is your drink of choice. The lack of artistic ability of a diet coke ad will not deter you from drinking it…I’m just saying
I’ve also removed the word “freelance” from my personal vocabulary. If you wish to use something similar you can use FEElance, because hey, if you’re good at something you should never do it for free.
When asked, and depending on where I am at the time, I tell folks that:
• I’m a small business owner
• I’m an independent designer
• I’m a commercial designer
When I’m asked the infamous “What do you do?” I say, “I help small businesses get their name out there by putting eyes on what they have to say. I do that by designing printed marketing materials that give them a heightened perception in their particular market.” By then, the person has lost interest and stops asking me questions.
How do you answer the “What do you do” question?
Good point, we run into this filming weddings all of the time. How much of it is creating a really cool wedding film for the blog & how much is captuing the moment that will bring them back years later.
A few thoughts:
First: The Pepsi ad has a lot of aesthetic “issues” going on in it. To me, it fails not only in context but in content. It’s not balanced, it has value contrast problems, it’s spatially ambiguous… I’m wondering if the original ad has more to it that just this image.
Contextually I don’t get the bathroom tile environment and the lime doing its thing as being something enticing for people… who wants to associate any beverage with bodily wastewater? It’s not a good selling point. The function fails.
But it could be used by Coca-Cola to rebrand Pepsi in the same way Apple has done for PCs…
Second: Design separates itself from fine art in that it marries – and I mean “marries” in the biblical sense- aesthetic theory with function. Aesthetic decisions must support function. If either aesthetics or function fails, the design fails.
I had this very discussion with my students during my design theory class at UCLA Extension last night – that designers are not artists although they use the same aesthetic principles.
Design is not decoration and it’s not self-expression. It is meant to serve a purpose. It’s not art.
Third: Calling oneself a graphic artist rather than a graphic designer indicates a serious disconnect with current and appropriate terminology. Graphic arts is a somewhat old-fashioned term and usually encompasses production and printing.
As for me, I call myself an illustrative designer.
Wow, well said Alvalyn. I wish I could be in some of the pitches. I mean I can see it be a funny laugh-around-the-table sort of thing, but who decided it someone wanted a lime to pee in their pepsi? They must be brilliant pitchmen.
You’re so right Clint. Big turning point for me was when I stopped viewing myself as a freelancer and saw myself as the owner of the church’s creative studio. Freelancer also implies casual, part time…it’s just a terrible word for so many reasons.
Too often I simply call myself a designer or church creative. What I should say is “I’m trying to make the church the most creative place on the planet.” Which could then lead into a full conversation about creativity and the church.
My business card says Founder & Creative Director which I’ve been back and forth on several times. My next iteration may have Graphic Designer scratched out for Church Creative (or something of that sort), which could then lead into a discussion.
I’m a problem solver; as in, “How do I solve the problem of communicating this piece of information that will not only be clear, but call the recipient into action?” My title at the church is Communication Coordinator. I guess that says it.
When I was a not-so-free-lancer I called myself a Commercial Artist because I created art that communicated a message or drew your attention to or made you desire/need whatever it was the client was selling. Now on the management side of things, I guess I’m glad I’m not doing that anymore because it’s getting so complicated I wouldn’t know what to call myself. When looking for talent do I ask for an FeeLance Artistic Graphic Communicator with a Psycology Bent?
Clint & Michael – The word “free” in “freelance” does not imply without charge or cost. It goes back to the 18th century and consisted of two separate words. I believe it was first coined by Sir Walter Scott in “Ivanhoe”, where he referred to a “medieval mercenary warrior” as Free Lance.
So, it’s not without cost – it’s simply not being bound to just one master. A mercenary – I like that.
Ooh…Mercenary Designer, I like that.
The difficulty isn’t within the true definition, it is in the way people look at it. Especially in a place where many are just looking for the free/cheap solution.