Hello there, I must say it’s a clever content. I’ll certainly be searching in on this website again quickly….

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.

So, it’s not without cost – it’s simply not being bound to just one master. A mercenary – I like that.

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.

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.

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?