idesigned

a pipe tobacco tin label for my pipe smokers forum in a recently held competition. It came second place, so as a professional graphic designer by trade, "am I bothered"? Hell no, I'm at an age when I see my career as a success primarily because it is not an overly brilliant one. I have made so much 'shit' to sell 'shit' over the past 20 years, some of it good - some of it not so good, learning not to take it so seriously has been a major achievement, more so than the winning of any prestidious design award.

You see design has become a bad word, I feel this has been a gradual process since the 1980's, I dislike the word design, the word 'style'. I can appreciate Bauhaus as much as anyone else but design itself is increasingly becoming a brand rather than a tool to assist good branding. Anti-design is an ever growing movement in the creative industries and artistic circles. Questions on sustainable design, eco-friendly design have grown louder but we're still trying to grasp it's true meaning and place in the increasingly corporate business world. Looking back over my modest career, I can say all the best work I have done is to help the small businessman sell a few units more, the projects that didn't pay so much or dare I say, "nothing at all".