Deep Thoughts
Have you ever been asked a question that caught you off guard? Or one that you thought you had resolved, but when actually asked felt stumped? Well, last week a designer sent me these thoughtful questions after browsing through B L A N K:
So, before I give you my thoughts on how my faith affects my design thoughts and process, I'd like to hear your perspective. Please, don't be shy.
“So if most of your readers are not Christian, why do you make that part of your mission statement? I'm asking from a totally respectful place. I think B L A N K is great, but one of the first things I saw was 'design from a Christian perspective', and I immediately figured it wasn't for me. After reading some of your posts, I realized that B L A N K is actually just interesting questions from an enthusiastic designer. Do you think your posts are from a specifically Christian perspective? Do you think your religious beliefs affect your design thoughts and process?”Several things in this person's comments gave me pause. First, I needed to ask if it really is necessary to include "Christian" in the B L A N K purpose statement. Although I do hope we can get to the heart of design without being religious, I'm not afraid of turning folks off. There are a boatload of great websites, blogs, magazines and forums to discuss design, and some of them even touch the heart of design occasionally. Only a handful to see how design can touch the heart, and B L A N K is the only one I know of that explores the heart and soul of design from a Christian perspective. Which brings me to the last two questions raised, neither of which are easy for me to answer.
So, before I give you my thoughts on how my faith affects my design thoughts and process, I'd like to hear your perspective. Please, don't be shy.
posted by fivemcclungs at 7:56 AM
7 Comments:
I think it's good that you're upfront about it if that is your agenda. I'm stringently atheist myself, but it doesn't stop me being interested in what's discussed here. I just tend to take a more critical approach when I'm reading this site, analyse a bit more carefully what exactly you guys are saying. Hope that makes sense.
quis, hope you'll comment more often. We need to hear your voice. No one perspective holds the key to unlocking design that touches the heart. In fact, most of the design that touches my heart is stuff that isn't "Christian" at all...just good design. Does your atheist "faith" (for lack of a better word) influence your design? If so, how? We'd like to hear.
I think you can explore the heart and soul of design without a uniquely Christian point of view - - but it's your blog and your choice. However, I do agree with the writer that you write less about design from a Christian perspective at your best - and the rest of the time it's more of a focus of being a Christian (and staying faithful to your beliefs) in a designer's world, not necessarily "Christian design."
I don't think my beliefs (for want of a better word) inspire my design. That said I find design to be most fulfilling when I'm exploring and voicing ideas which are close to me. This to me is the heart and soul of design; using design's vocabulary to create work which is faithful to an idea, expresses the idea in a way which nothing else could, in essence design that meaningfully adds perspective. This doesn't always mean overstating the case or being instrusive; when I re-did my own site I tried to be very concious of the design only being explicit where it has something to say.
In some ways this is touching on being art. What's more I often find it hard to apply such principles when I'm doing client or student work, but we're talking idealistically here right?
Well, yes and no. I think our ideology must have practical application or it is of no use. But yes, I agree wholeheartedly that putting it into practice is difficult. Good article over here at SpeakUp on a student's struggle with that very issue.
I obviously can't answer for you Frank, but for me I feel like this is very much the case for me. Of course you could begin with the standard ethics examples (would you work for a cigarette co?) but I think everyone deals with these to some degree. So I think it becomes broader...
I think the following specific beliefs have a huge affect on my design thoughts/process (but I think any follower of Jesus would say the same - whatever their vocation or profession):
- that there is a God-creator who is a personal being that desires to be in relationship with us - personal human beings
-knowing that He wants to communicate with us (and me!) and is choosing to do that through other people - even his own Son
- that the world is not how it was created to be
- that He has done something to change that fact - to redeem it
I think all these beliefs affect ideas on what communication is for, about and how it should be done. Knowing that there is value and worth in communicating 'truth' (even that there may be Truth) and that it may in fact change something for better or for worse has an impact on what we do.
For me personally, I have a deep-seated belief that design can do much more than sell something or simply convey 'information.' I believe it has the potential to communicate much deeper, life changing ideas and that it can actually move someone + even change them - for the better.
In my opinion, it takes courage, conviction and passion to stand up to what you believe in. I believe designers (not just Christians) do struggle with that every so often, between choosing what's right and wrong, or in the grey areas. All respect to designers who employ design to impact lives, change perceptions, and make life much more worth living...
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