Have you ever admired the colours of a poster without noticing the event it was supposed to promote? Have you ever found yourself lusting over a beautiful letter set in an even more wonderful typeface, without noticing the message it spelled? You probably haven’t, because graphic design can never be separated from the message it is supposed to convey. Its ultimate function is communication, as obvious as it might seem.
Yet, there are probably thousands of designers right now browsing thousands of other blogs looking for ‘inspiration’ for their new project. Looking for the ‘looks’, the style, the image, and not the solution. And if you may be one of those designers, or spot one sitting right next to you, please note that a design can only be taken so far by an aesthetically driven solution. This apparently blatant phrase comes as a conclusion after reading a tremendously significant (at least, as far as we are concerned) book “Forget All The Rules You Ever Learned About Graphic Design. Including The Ones in This Book.” written by one of the most genius graphic designers of all times – Bob Gill.
Even though it was published more than thirty years ago, in 1981, its lesson still remains an essential one to learn. In fact, what Bob Gill tries to explain throughout the book departs from a single, simple piece of advice: “Unless you can begin with an interesting problem, it is unlikely you will end up with an interesting solution.” Starting from the problem, trying to turn each task in an interesting problem, is what, in Gill’s words, can make even the most boring brief an interesting one and even the worst client a possibly nice one to work with. And this simple piece of advice (along with its further elaborations and a series of illustrated examples included in the book) is possibly the most important one any designer may ever receive.
