Designing for the spirit

Read this first:
Blank: The Spirit of Design

Not sure what to write about. I just know I bond to what this person wrote. I've always felt this desire to express more with graphic design than just create something that looks pretty. It's clear that a fine design piece, very attractive on the surface, is simply shallow. Without any thought or cleverness, the piece doesn't hold much power. It can only go as far as the surface and it may only win a bronze at best. But it seems what makes "good" design, the kind that makes your heart skip a beat, is a mix of beauty and intelligence.

But could there be more to it? Is there another ingredient in that mix? Can plain old good design become great? More importantly, what is it about great design that skips past the flirtatious phase and immediately draws us in?

That question makes me wonder: Are we only flirting with customers? It's easy to see that the meat market of advertising only likes to toy with people. No wonder this industry has little respect. No wonder it's difficult to get noticed and accepted. We've caused people to become numb to our advances. Even though I am in the industry, I'm tired of the way advertising treats me. Basically, I don't want to be led on, I want to be pursued.

But maybe we don't value our customers enough. We only look at the exterior and thus create work that has no depth. Yet you and I know that people are more than just "surfacy". Yes, some come across that way and some really want what's on the surface, but all customers are extremely complicated and full of depth, full of something more than we give them credit for.

It is typically described as "our hearts." That place that yearns for more and longs to be recognized. It's a vulnerable area that needs to be handled delicately. It is the source of our passions, our desires, our convictions and our treasures. It's what burns for love and the goodness of life. But the most important thing about our "hearts" is that they tell us who we are. You could almost say that it is the "spirit" of a person.

And that is the very place that needs to be spoken to.

By no means should we use this to manipulate customers. That is just vicious. I've realized lately that there is a fine line between manipulation and influence. I think the way we can speak to the hearts of our customers is to first step into their shoes, feel what they feel and make those feelings your own. Develop a connection with your audience by looking at your own heart. Basically, develop a relationship. A pet peeve of mine is when I'm in a conversation with someone and they look past me or through me. Worse is when they only come to me when they need something. That feeling of being used strikes right at the core and most of the time this industry does that: uses people.

The blog that has inspired this post, inspires these questions too:
How can we communicate to an individual's spirit through design when you are dealing with a self-centered product?
How can we use this understanding to develop great design?

These are tough ideas. Difficult to administer when there is a mold already set in place. I guess a simple step to take is to ask these questions, one project at a time, one person at at time.