The Artistic Outlaw

Apparently so. Adobe has announced the new CS3 icon family and it has caused some minor dismay. I’ve yet to read any resounding praise for the icons. However, I’ve read many angry outbursts, some eloquently put criticisms, but mostly just confused indifference.

Why a company as well known for producing creative software, would create an icon family that has a novice visual feel is beyond me. I suppose we could only speculate at Adobe’s motives until they supply an official explanation, but I’d like to believe they have a good reason, and that it’ll all become clear as we get closer to a full launch of CS3.

The way that I’m looking at this minor situation is from the point of view of the designer.

As a web designer, graphic artist and illustrator I know first hand the feelings that accompany the creation, development and eventual public display of my art. It’s a difficult, unseemly pill to swallow, and the series of emotions that rush through me each time I finally present my work to the world is gratifying, obsessively compulsive and invigorating, but mostly it’s just frightening.

I fear, each and every time, that I’m going to be lambasted for my design/artistic choices—for my ideas and concepts. It’s difficult to leave these heavy feelings at the shore as I paddle out into the vast open sea of “designers” and “artists”. What’s worse is the seemingly endless stream of anonymous critics whom all have a educated opinon of my work, even though they have absolutely no background on the thought process or design goals or—in some cases—the client’s specific needs and wants. Yet they feel it necessary to completely degrade me and provide their unsolicited advice on how to improve something they haven’t a hand or say in, just because it doesn’t align with their specific tastes.

I have no grounds on which to complain about the icon/design/business choices of a major company nor do I have the right to weigh in and give my unsolicited advice on why their icons suck (I don’t think they do, for the record).

I don’t know the Adobe designer or design team in any capacity, but I do feel for them and wish them good luck in this journey against popular opinion and I pray that they stick to their guns and go down in a blaze of glory defending their design choice which I can guarantee has a lot more thought behind it then the visuals would lead anyone to believe.

Here’s to hoping.

That felt nice, thanks for reading.