13. COMPATIBILITY ISSUE

Someone talked about designers being in/compatible in a presentation last week and that's something that resonates. Probably not in the sense of compatible or incompatible opinions or styles, but in the type of design or contextual environment. Incompatibility arises when we have dissimilar definitions for what design is and what it covers.

For instance, I was at 100% Design in September and "incompatible" is an apt term for describing my experience. It was my first time there, but immediately it was clear that their presentation of 'design' was different to mine. It felt like I had simply walked into the wrong room, like a carpenter finding himself (or herself) in the gardening section at Homebase. The majority of stands consisted of only salesmen and 'corporate types' who I am 100% sure are not what I call designers – perhaps not the "100%" theme they were going for.

But bearing in mind this is the biggest LDF event of them all, you have to wonder how it can be so incompatible to someone like myself, a student and enthusiast of design. Perhaps I am just a minority, and to most people this is how design translates. It's always been a terrifying notion that people don't really know what design is, which opens up so many more questions and fears. If it's true that for most people, the general public, our (that is, designers') supposed target audience in most cases, can attend a trade show like 100% Design and think that that's what design is, it raises big issues for us who find it incompatible. I've come through two years of studying Design at Goldsmiths, believing that design affects everything, relates to everything and ultimately is everything, but for that to apparently be such a niche is surely a concern, a contradiction.

Referring back to the original presentation that this topic was mentioned (sorry I can't remember who's), compatibility is rather vital in finding people to work with, whether that be employers, partners or whatever else – we have to be compatible in our work and our direction, which is actually quite obvious. We all want to be with people on the same wavelength, that 'get' each other. But I'm not sure it's just a case of matching personalities or getting along as mates; I think it's something deeper into our belief systems and outlooks on life.

8. THAT KID IN SCHOOL

Back in school, I was that kid who spent far too much time making things look neat. I held personal pride and the envy of my peers in my handwriting (although my English teacher wasn't a fan because it wasn't joined-up-writing – oh piss off). I cared deeply about the quality of my homework, making sure not only that it was good and 'correct', but also that it looked perfect (not that it was). I was that kid who drew meticulous diagrams for the science report, did a front cover and contents page for the maths project, and funnily enough the only kid who actually did that one essay task for art class. Yeah, I was him.

In those days, I thought of Design (or D&T) merely as the subject in which you made wooden boxes, I really thought that was it. I had no idea that design was something that stretched to all realms of life and civilisation as we know it – and I really mean everything. These past two years or so have taught me that design is far more significant, whilst admittedly subtle, in the human world and a discipline that plays a key role, a vital role in everything, from chairs and packaging to strategies and communication. And really I want to be engaged with all of what design encompasses, to affect and essentially improve our lives. Who knew that that kid back in school was already so design-conscious.

7. I O S SEVEN

I haven't updated to iOS 7 yet. And not just because I don't like the sickly colour overload. There's no disputing that there are some neat functions available that Apple users have long been patient without. Marking all email as read, having a working Clock app icon, the Command Centre of course. But for me there are too many flaws that tell me that the workers at Apple (one of my favourite brands out there) haven't understood their task.

Skeumorphism to flat design, the main visual change that iOS 7 brings and a point of conversation that has seen the internet erupt with opinion and debate. Yes, I was never a fan of that torn paper look on iCal and Notes, or the tacky stage curtains in Photo Booth – I fucking hated it. But that's not to say skeumorphism should have been scrapped altogether. It's true I'm not certain to what extent that terminology actually refers to, but I believe it was originally brought about for a good reason (why else would Steve Jobs have given it the go ahead?). Its benefits were to help us use it easily and seamlessly, without ever feeling unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Natural user intuition. Subtle things like seeing the tone of shadows change as we press a 'button' to mimic the depth of actually pushing a button – these are the details that we may not have actively appreciated, but are fundamental in persuading our brains and instincts that we're using it right. Unfortunately the stripped back anti-skeumorphism platform of iOS 7 is so extreme that it's lost that basic intuition, I feel. The buttons are so unclear that I can't even tell what's press-able and what isn't – and I'd consider myself sufficiently tech-savvy. There's a massive lack of hierarchy or distinction throughout: what's currently selected, where's my active field of working, where does the title end and the description begin?

Removing the 'leather' bookmark tab and the faux stitch binding is justly undoing unnecessary skeumorphism, sure, but removing shadows and clarity is just backwards and illogical. And it's just so white. It seems the designers were so keen to simplify and clean up that they lost sight of the overarching priorities that their product must achieve. It's been long documented that Apple have slowed down, if not stopped, their innovation, but this software revamp is a terrible step in the wrong direction. At best, they've caught up with their competitors in terms of functionality, which we'd argue is long overdue and largely to please our previous frustrations. But since when were Apple satisfied with just catching up? What happened to being the leading tech house that raised and pushed the fast-changing industry? Shame really.

> This entry is written on a whim as a result of slowly accumulated thought and no direct research. My arguments may turn out to be invalid and might one day decide that I actually quite fancy the update, who knows.

>> Find out more about Apple's latest software update here. The image used in this post is taken from the linked page.

2. LISTENING CLUB

I like my music. I listen to it every minute I possibly can, I follow the activity of my favourite musicians and watch them live, I buy their records. And I care too – I've invested in pretty darn good speakers for home and a couple of headphones for elsewhere, because I want to experience it in the best possible way. Sure I listen to it whilst working, but that's not to say I don't make time to just sit and listen either. And that's what I want to discuss right now.

Listening with our full attention. Really appreciating the work, because let's face it, artists spend their time and effort in making the perfect record, taking considerations for every detail and producing something they are proud of. They certainly don't do that so that we can play it a couple times on a YouTube rip through sub-sub-standard PC speaker output, whilst simultaneously talking on the phone and cooking dinner. From a designer's perspective, we meticulously plan and execute work (because that's the designer's job) and we know it would absolutely pain us to see people treat it without full respect. So why is it the norm for us to treat music always as a secondary priority for our attention?

Before I go further, I would like to make clear what I mean when I say music. Without doubt, it's an industry that involves heavy business influences whereby it makes money, as with most if not all other industries. And there are artists who make music to make money (and there's nothing wrong with that at all). But it's important to acknowledge that there are also artists who make music because that's what they value most and feel passionate to achieve, and there are many of them. I distinguish that as two different forms: entertainment and music. Someone like Rihanna sits in a meeting with writers who each bring with them proposals for lyrics and she picks one she likes. Then in another meeting she is played melody demos and again chooses one she likes. Producers put the selected couple together and make a song, Rihanna goes into the studio and records the vocal part, then it's sent off again to be mixed, mastered and ultimately finished for public release. And I have nothing against this, because her number one selling point is not her musical craft, but the quality of her voice and perhaps more importantly her undeniably incredible skill to perform. This is "entertainment" and this is irrelevant to my case today. I'm talking about those who release their own music, those who are selling their music and put everything into the music. Just like how we put together design projects.

For them, it surely can't be enough for me to play the chorus on my phone and then be a 'fan'. Whilst it's definitely important to be attractive at a superficial level, there is no doubt that there is so much more to it. So much more that we couldn't possibly appreciate if we didn't try to. I want "listening clubs" to be a thing, a dedicated occasion for focussing 100% of our energy into hearing the sounds and really experiencing the work, to give ourselves the opportunity to delve deep into the material and indeed the musicians themselves, and feel genuine response to it. It's the least that it deserves. As a designer, I care about questioning why any creative decision was made, why this was chosen over that, why it's done in this way. We don't just sell our skills (the ability to use Creative Suite), the main value of a designer in my opinion is our ability to decide what's good and proper, the ability to see how to best use our skills. Perhaps this is similar with musicians: it's not just the talent of playing an instrument very well or having a lovely voice, but their best asset is to know how to effectively combine these skills to complete a holistic art. Just because you can use Photoshop, that doesn't make you a designer. Similarly, just because you can sing, that doesn't make you a musician.

So that's why we should learn to better appreciate the goodness of music (or at least the attempt for goodness) by doing our part as the listener with maximum desire and responsibility. That's what the artists would have wanted and I believe that's our obligation as the recipient.

> Find out what I like listening to on tlee. Black.