Detachment

I’ve always been a bit oversensitive. I spend a lot of time thinking about how others perceive me, and analyzing conversations long after they end. One reason I prefer communicating online rather than in person or over the phone is having a buffer zone to think about what I want to say. It prevents me from saying something dumb that might haunt me afterwards.

Sensitive guy that I am, I entered a career in graphic design in which I create visuals for others to approve. My high school drawings consisted of stick figures and people with balloon muscles(or chests in the case of females), yet I decided to become an art major. I had a 98% math average and was taking college level courses. In any field requiring math, you’re either right or you’re wrong. Art direction is one of those fields in which whomever you’re designing for is right, even when they’re wrong. Subjectivity of course works both ways, and sometimes “wrong” might simply be a different opinion than my own.

I’ve heard some interesting comments over the years. A book client once told me that no professional graphic designer would use a double ruled border, and that a certain font choice was a “sin”. A former supervisor once pleaded with me not to use the color green anymore because to him it said “financial”. I had the word “DRAGON” in green over an illustration of a dragon, so that one puzzled me. Just yesterday someone schooled me in the use of blue, explaining that research showed blue does poorly with food advertisements. A decade ago when I was starting out at a small publishing company, an editor told me the same thing, except back then green was the color never to use around food.

The funny thing is, the latest comment didn’t really bother me. I’ve worked for three companies now. I’ve been doing this kind of work since 1996, and I’ve come to expect it. I can remember losing sleep over some of the criticisms I’ve received, even questioning my worth and ability. I took things personally. It took me too long to reach the level of detachment I have now. Does curving type make it look like a comic book? I’ll straighten it out; not a problem. Is red too flashy? Is it bad to put a photo below copy describing it? Should items on a page only tilt counter clockwise, if at all? Will a blue box harm an ad related to a kitchen product? And most importantly, if I create something that doesn’t match someone else’s vision in some way, does that mean I suck?

It took me a long time to realize the answer to that last question is “no”. In most cases, the requests I get aren’t unreasonable. And I find a lot of the critiques that would haunt me now amuse me. I think it’s a healthy attitude. I will question things and offer alternative solutions, but if someone still chooses an option I disagree with, I smile, make the change, and move on. I think it’s a key step in understanding that my job is my job, and my life begins when I leave the office. I’ve heard people older than I, with more experience, completely lose their temper and rail against the indignity of being told to use a certain typeface or avoid certain colors. It’s not worth getting upset over, and I can’t imagine their stress levels if they’ve never learned to deal with such occupational hazards.

I expect to hear these things now. You can never guess what someone is looking for, only gauge a general impression of his or her tastes. And what’s true for one company or individual will definitely change when you go somewhere else. I’ve discovered detachment in so many other areas of my life, learned the importance of rolling with the punches and keeping my sanity. Life’s too short to worry about things that don’t matter to me personally.

A banker has probably never been told, “Don’t use 4’s; they scare customers”. But, I’m sure that field has it’s own quirks just as any other. I’m sure there were times my dad came home from work and was still thinking about what was wrong with a certain car and why he couldn’t diagnose it. It would consume him until he inevitably figured it out. His diet led to his heart condition, but stress was surely a factor as well. I want to learn from other people’s mistakes as well as my own. Granted, the diet thing still needs work, but letting go of certain things in my career is a good step. That’s not to say I don’t take pride in my work or love what I do. Design is infinitely more interesting than punching a calculator all day. I’ve just discovered value in recognizing when a critique is a genuine lesson toward my own growth, and when it’s someone’s opinion that I shouldn’t take personally. I’m far happier in that realization than I have been in years.