> value of design
and since i'm ona roll ... aaahhh ... another ole' nugget of rage and discontent ... circa 23.11.2000 (posted on multiply too on the 7th Sept'04) ... obviously out of frustration wif whom(s) i cannot remember ... my "angry-man-years"... heh... tiz gonna be a looooong one...
“What price DESIGN?” or even, “What price Art Direction?”
Is there a “rate” or “value” we should all know about? Where did it come from? Who started it? How did it start? From what grounds was a value based on? And most importantly, “Is Design worth that MUCH?” or even worth at all; anything?
Every Tom, Dick and Harriet think they can “design”; “draw-draw only what… ?”
Gone where the days of “needing to beef up the portfolio” and doing whatever comes your way and at no matter what the cost (or the lack thereof) would be. Sure, there were a coupla good healthy budgets and hefty profits, but there were way too much skimming the near-comatose-budgets and even a coupla duds.
For the life of a design-student is a life of struggle, for in the darkness, would you appreciate the light and the minute-pleasures and triumphs that it brings. And like a moth to a burning flame, they flutter noisily, for the effort would be worth it in the end. The wonders of youth…
“For they know not then, what we know now, it is but a path of humility they have to walk themselves…” – give them a torchlight, for pete’s sake! But let them get the batteries themselves?
The “training” is over. What is your “mission” now?
Gone were the days of 48 hour rushes for client design brief / design concept and developmental / initial design proposal / client design approval (disapproval) / final full-color presentation; and all for a measly back-end of a 3-figure fee.
A “token-fee”, by any token, surely. A hefty reward during those struggling young design years, for sure. But now, aaahhh NOW … the climate is ever shifting and the winds are different… the “crumbs” that fed our hungry-stomachs way-back when, taste pretty stale now…
How do you rate a month’s worth of “pre-production”, followed by a month shoot? Barely touching 2-grand? “Sorry, low budget production, lah!” – Acceptable reasoning, as long as it’s all upfront and above-board …. But…. “Oh, we did not budget in for an Art Director in the first place…” – Surely you jest?
Just how much is it all worth? Design / Conceptualization is “intangible”. The design process is “invisible”, but only to the designer. The “presentation” of the design; is the only tangible “proof” of “work” being done. Of the only “worth” of the money pumped in. But is it all there is to it?
“I also can draw-draw like that what…” - Putting together some furniture and fabric, nor drawing in some shapes and text, does not a “designer” make. Or does it?
Many a times, we engage in debate over; “what a designer does?” and “what does the art director do?”. Content Provider vs Service Provider.
The pure and simple protocol is such (in filmmaking or television, at least);
The Set Designer is “service provider” while the Production Designer and/or Art Director is the “content provider”, in the context of an Art Department. Situations might vary from media to medium, but the basic principles apply.
To put it simply; “You get what You PAY for”.
“Bitter in tone” you say? “Generous in information-sharing and education” - I insist. But I digress…
This is what a Set Designer (and sometimes even Art Directors; in the local context IMHO) does:
Design what you want and give you what you asked for. Throw in a couple of colorful props, a lava-lamp and kitschy-bed-linen in the bedroom and there you have it.
What an Production Designer (and/or Art Director) does:
Meets with writers, producers and directors, discuss story concepts, characters and their motivations, unscripted-history, direction of project, styling, visual look and identity of project, the feel, the atmosphere, the “illusion”; all that and design the whole damn thing.
“Kitschy-bed-linen”; only if the protagonist is an 18-year old teenage girl, with 5 earrings on the left year and 3 on the right and a pierced navel, having weaned on Stanley Kubrick and Wong Ka Way flicks and detests barbie-dolls and hello kitty, but has a mountain of soft toys on her bed; garfield, snoopy and pooh-bear et al. Oh, and hates her entire life, but loves her friends and family – in that order. “Off-base” - you say? “Brain-fart” - you reckon.
The reality of it is, in general briefings and discussion stages, we do not even get pass the “18-year old teenage girl’s bedroom” – stage.
Then OBVIOUSLY, a couple of Japanese idol-stars posters and of course, Backstreet Boys or N’Sync posters, stacks of music CDs, a framed poster (picture from some calendar) and some soft toys from Salvation Army Thrift Shop, is all you’re gonna get. Let’s not forget a “funky” lava-lamp in the foreground…
Tell me, how DOES an 18-year old girl’s bedroom looks like? Pink walls? Frills? Pot-pourri?
Are all 18 year old girl’s bedroom the SAME? If you want “reality”, look in your own house, or your neighbors, but if you want “entertainment”, to entertain via television or film, try and think beyond “reality”, unless it’s a documentary you are meant to pursue.
“Arranging positions of table-lamps alone and changing bed-linen, does not an Art Director make” .... or does it?
Is the Designer / Art Director good in the first place? Why can’t the situations be improved? Why does everyone keep on whining and nothing changes?
Is the “sell” effective enough? Was the design good enough in the first place? “I think the lava lamp will look better if it was pink…” Laugh not, for the irony is the memory that will haunt me in my soon-to-be-suspiciously-short-career.
Often a times; I suspect, it is all a matter of “ego” and power-play; “I’m the CLIENT”, “I wrote this”, “It’s my concept”, “I know what I am doing”, that gets in the way of a complete and full job being done.
The fear of realizing the truth, of “others” seeing through the façade of jewels and gold, is but a transient block of ice, waiting desperately to melt. “But fear not! For I will blow freezing-breaths down your weak backs and hold you in check should you decide to turn against me and mine!”
For the irony of “ego” can be tasted fully with mediocrity and blame-assigning. “God! He’s such a bad designer! If only he had listened to my specifications!” Hold the salt, please! Heavy on the pepper…
And what are the two worst single words, that makes us art directors and designers squirm in our seats? “Budget” and “Time”. There are never enough of both. “Why is that so?”, one asks. Dare you?
“Poor management?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get to the art department eventually, they’re not that important anyway”. Hands up – those who chose the second answer?
The irony of it is, as opposed to other disciplines of design, i.e. graphic or packaging design, the “presentation” is a key to the success of the “product”, as it were. Whereas the value of a production (film or tv), is solely based on the “direction“ and “how-it-was-filmed”, more often than not. Disagree with me? Let’s talk “local” here…
How important is ART DIRECTION anyway? How much worth DESIGN? Don’t worry, slap on as coupla dummy-wooden walls, put in a sofa and a lava lamp and a kitschy carpet and there you have it! Don’t worry, the acting and script will make them invisible “anyway”. “Hey! The wall-lamp in the middle of the 3-room flat, is crooked!”
(*a portion edited out here ~ timeliness ~ )
It is the suspension of disbelief and the successful convergence and submergence of the set and the costumes, entering the realm of the “real”, that ultimately makes a difference in production values – between good and bad art direction, versus some of the stuff they try to pass off on local television.
But isn’t that all what we’re trying NOT to achieve? Mediocrity? But to be better than that? To be “different”, as some directors and producers say….. “different” from what? From local television? The irony escapes most.
Of course we will all chug along and ultimately there will still be a lava lamp in the corner of the 18 year old girl’s room. “Hip” what? Great “Art Direction” and “Design”, man!
What value Art Direction?
What worth DESIGN indeed…
well, i'd like to think things are different now, since 5years ago when i first wrote alla these, but i suspect the rose-tinted-glasses are fogging up again, mayhaps from alla the hotair around? or maybe ya think im just a whinybasturd? no need to speculate, i reckon ... just haveta experience it all for yourself, innit? heh :p
“What price DESIGN?” or even, “What price Art Direction?”
Is there a “rate” or “value” we should all know about? Where did it come from? Who started it? How did it start? From what grounds was a value based on? And most importantly, “Is Design worth that MUCH?” or even worth at all; anything?
Every Tom, Dick and Harriet think they can “design”; “draw-draw only what… ?”
Gone where the days of “needing to beef up the portfolio” and doing whatever comes your way and at no matter what the cost (or the lack thereof) would be. Sure, there were a coupla good healthy budgets and hefty profits, but there were way too much skimming the near-comatose-budgets and even a coupla duds.
For the life of a design-student is a life of struggle, for in the darkness, would you appreciate the light and the minute-pleasures and triumphs that it brings. And like a moth to a burning flame, they flutter noisily, for the effort would be worth it in the end. The wonders of youth…
“For they know not then, what we know now, it is but a path of humility they have to walk themselves…” – give them a torchlight, for pete’s sake! But let them get the batteries themselves?
The “training” is over. What is your “mission” now?
Gone were the days of 48 hour rushes for client design brief / design concept and developmental / initial design proposal / client design approval (disapproval) / final full-color presentation; and all for a measly back-end of a 3-figure fee.
A “token-fee”, by any token, surely. A hefty reward during those struggling young design years, for sure. But now, aaahhh NOW … the climate is ever shifting and the winds are different… the “crumbs” that fed our hungry-stomachs way-back when, taste pretty stale now…
How do you rate a month’s worth of “pre-production”, followed by a month shoot? Barely touching 2-grand? “Sorry, low budget production, lah!” – Acceptable reasoning, as long as it’s all upfront and above-board …. But…. “Oh, we did not budget in for an Art Director in the first place…” – Surely you jest?
Just how much is it all worth? Design / Conceptualization is “intangible”. The design process is “invisible”, but only to the designer. The “presentation” of the design; is the only tangible “proof” of “work” being done. Of the only “worth” of the money pumped in. But is it all there is to it?
“I also can draw-draw like that what…” - Putting together some furniture and fabric, nor drawing in some shapes and text, does not a “designer” make. Or does it?
Many a times, we engage in debate over; “what a designer does?” and “what does the art director do?”. Content Provider vs Service Provider.
The pure and simple protocol is such (in filmmaking or television, at least);
The Set Designer is “service provider” while the Production Designer and/or Art Director is the “content provider”, in the context of an Art Department. Situations might vary from media to medium, but the basic principles apply.
To put it simply; “You get what You PAY for”.
“Bitter in tone” you say? “Generous in information-sharing and education” - I insist. But I digress…
This is what a Set Designer (and sometimes even Art Directors; in the local context IMHO) does:
Design what you want and give you what you asked for. Throw in a couple of colorful props, a lava-lamp and kitschy-bed-linen in the bedroom and there you have it.
What an Production Designer (and/or Art Director) does:
Meets with writers, producers and directors, discuss story concepts, characters and their motivations, unscripted-history, direction of project, styling, visual look and identity of project, the feel, the atmosphere, the “illusion”; all that and design the whole damn thing.
“Kitschy-bed-linen”; only if the protagonist is an 18-year old teenage girl, with 5 earrings on the left year and 3 on the right and a pierced navel, having weaned on Stanley Kubrick and Wong Ka Way flicks and detests barbie-dolls and hello kitty, but has a mountain of soft toys on her bed; garfield, snoopy and pooh-bear et al. Oh, and hates her entire life, but loves her friends and family – in that order. “Off-base” - you say? “Brain-fart” - you reckon.
The reality of it is, in general briefings and discussion stages, we do not even get pass the “18-year old teenage girl’s bedroom” – stage.
Then OBVIOUSLY, a couple of Japanese idol-stars posters and of course, Backstreet Boys or N’Sync posters, stacks of music CDs, a framed poster (picture from some calendar) and some soft toys from Salvation Army Thrift Shop, is all you’re gonna get. Let’s not forget a “funky” lava-lamp in the foreground…
Tell me, how DOES an 18-year old girl’s bedroom looks like? Pink walls? Frills? Pot-pourri?
Are all 18 year old girl’s bedroom the SAME? If you want “reality”, look in your own house, or your neighbors, but if you want “entertainment”, to entertain via television or film, try and think beyond “reality”, unless it’s a documentary you are meant to pursue.
“Arranging positions of table-lamps alone and changing bed-linen, does not an Art Director make” .... or does it?
Is the Designer / Art Director good in the first place? Why can’t the situations be improved? Why does everyone keep on whining and nothing changes?
Is the “sell” effective enough? Was the design good enough in the first place? “I think the lava lamp will look better if it was pink…” Laugh not, for the irony is the memory that will haunt me in my soon-to-be-suspiciously-short-career.
Often a times; I suspect, it is all a matter of “ego” and power-play; “I’m the CLIENT”, “I wrote this”, “It’s my concept”, “I know what I am doing”, that gets in the way of a complete and full job being done.
The fear of realizing the truth, of “others” seeing through the façade of jewels and gold, is but a transient block of ice, waiting desperately to melt. “But fear not! For I will blow freezing-breaths down your weak backs and hold you in check should you decide to turn against me and mine!”
For the irony of “ego” can be tasted fully with mediocrity and blame-assigning. “God! He’s such a bad designer! If only he had listened to my specifications!” Hold the salt, please! Heavy on the pepper…
And what are the two worst single words, that makes us art directors and designers squirm in our seats? “Budget” and “Time”. There are never enough of both. “Why is that so?”, one asks. Dare you?
“Poor management?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get to the art department eventually, they’re not that important anyway”. Hands up – those who chose the second answer?
The irony of it is, as opposed to other disciplines of design, i.e. graphic or packaging design, the “presentation” is a key to the success of the “product”, as it were. Whereas the value of a production (film or tv), is solely based on the “direction“ and “how-it-was-filmed”, more often than not. Disagree with me? Let’s talk “local” here…
How important is ART DIRECTION anyway? How much worth DESIGN? Don’t worry, slap on as coupla dummy-wooden walls, put in a sofa and a lava lamp and a kitschy carpet and there you have it! Don’t worry, the acting and script will make them invisible “anyway”. “Hey! The wall-lamp in the middle of the 3-room flat, is crooked!”
(*a portion edited out here ~ timeliness ~ )
It is the suspension of disbelief and the successful convergence and submergence of the set and the costumes, entering the realm of the “real”, that ultimately makes a difference in production values – between good and bad art direction, versus some of the stuff they try to pass off on local television.
But isn’t that all what we’re trying NOT to achieve? Mediocrity? But to be better than that? To be “different”, as some directors and producers say….. “different” from what? From local television? The irony escapes most.
Of course we will all chug along and ultimately there will still be a lava lamp in the corner of the 18 year old girl’s room. “Hip” what? Great “Art Direction” and “Design”, man!
What value Art Direction?
What worth DESIGN indeed…
well, i'd like to think things are different now, since 5years ago when i first wrote alla these, but i suspect the rose-tinted-glasses are fogging up again, mayhaps from alla the hotair around? or maybe ya think im just a whinybasturd? no need to speculate, i reckon ... just haveta experience it all for yourself, innit? heh :p
