There are two stages in producing

a winner: getting the right idea,

and getting the idea right.

Secrets of Design

Relevance

Onourbestdays,wewantourworktorivalthebeautyweadmireinnature.Naturalbeauty,shapedbyeonsofevolution,isneverarbitrarybutcompletelyrele-vanttosurvival.Theformandcolorofflowersdeterminetheirpowertoattractinsects,whiletheformandcolorofinsectsdeterminethedegreeofsafetythey’llfindincamouflage.Similarly,ourbestworkreachesforthatstatewhereformservesapurpose,makesourdesigndowhatisintended.TheclassicalGreeksstudiednature’slawsofbalanceandsymmetry,applyingtheirdiscover-

Critique WINTER 199718

verygreatdesignisbuiltonacentralimpossibil-ity.Theproblemisphysicalandthepiecescan neverfit.Yetthecuriousmindthatdiscoveredthe

puzzlerefusestobedefeated—itbolstersthepartsthatwork,tinkerswithpartsthatdon’t,turnsitupsidedownandinsideoutuntilthethingmagicallyliftsintospaceandbridgesthechasmbetweensenderandreceiver.Thefinisheddesignseemssobeautiful,sorightforitspurposethatthebalingwire,ducttape,andwishfulthinkingonlyaddtoitsmajesty.

e

19Critique WINTER 1997

by Marty Neumeier

Ingraphicdesign,too,conceptsrarelyspringforthfullyformed,ladenwithnatural,inevitablebeauty.

Beforeaconceptcanbeexpectedtodomeaningfulwork,thewildlydivergentneedsofclient,designer,andaudiencemustbebridledandreinedandbroughtontothebit.Thedesignmustbehammered,fitted,andforgeduntilalltheworkingpartsmeshwithagracefulinevitabil-itythatbeliesallthesweatytinkering.Then,andonlythen,canthecommunicationresonatewiththatmagicalqualitycalledrelevance.☞

iestoevery-thingfromarchi-tecturetoequitation.In 400b.c. thecavalrycommanderXenophonwrote,“Anythingthatisforcedormisunderstoodcanneverbebeautiful.”Yethenevermentionedhow,exactly,toavoidforceandmisunder-standing.And,asanyonewhohasmasteredhorseman-shipwilltestify,there’snothingnaturalaboutit.Riding,likeanyartform,canneverbecompletelyfathomedandoftenrequiresanactoffaithtobeginatall.

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called“misoneism,”wassaidtoexistasaprotectivedevice.Headdedthat“civilizedman”reactstonewideasinmuchthesameway,donningpsychologicalblindersasprotectionfromtheshockofthenew.Butwhetherwefeelshockoronlycuriositywhencon-frontedbyanewmessage,wesoongetoverit,acceptingorreject-ingthenewinformationonthebasisofrelevancetoourlives.

A machine for communicating.

Mostdesignersagree:graphicdesignisnotfineart.Itmaybeart-fullyrealized,itmayevenincludeart,butit’sstillakindofcommu-

nication.Thesecretofcommunicatingliesinmakingmeaning;indesign,unlikeinfineart,“artforart’ssake”onlyweakensadesign’spotentialtocommunicate. Similarly,adesignbasedonaestheticsorstylealoneisdoomedtofailureor,atbest,semi-success.Style-baseddesigntriestobesomething,whilemean-ing-baseddesigntriestodosomething—explainacon-cept,identifyacompany,changeanopinion,persuadeashoppertobuy.Graphicdesign,ifrelevant,becomesamachineforcommunication.Itstrivesforthehigh-estlevelofperformance.Itcontainsnoextramovingparts.Anditsolvesrealcommunicationproblemswith-outunnecessaryembellishment.ErnestHemingwayoncesaidhelearnedtodistrustembellishmentthesamewayhelearnedtodistrustpeopleincertainsitua-tions.MarkTwainfeltthesame:“Whenindoubt,”hesaid,“strikeitout.” AtthedesignfirmofSamataMasoninChicago,GregandPatSamatabelievethekeytorelevance

isasolidunderstandingoftheclientorganization.“Wehavetoknowthecompany’sbusiness,theintricaciesoftheindustry,whattheirstrategiesare,andwhowe’retryingtocommunicatewith,”saysGreg. “Wecan’tcreateappropriatemessagesifwe’reworkinginthedark,”agreesPat.“Withannualreports,forexample,it’simportanttoknowwhat’shappeningwiththecompany.ManyCEOsdon’tknowexactlywhattosayintheirreports—orhowmuchtoreveal.” “Wefoundthattellingitlikeitis,tellingthetruth,isalwaysthebestapproach.Behonest,keepitsimple,don’ttrytoembellish—thatinitselfisappropriatebehavior,”saysGreg.“Everyyearwecollectthreeorfourthousandannualreportsandlinethemup.Wefindveryfewareappropriate.Veryfewareuniquetothecom-paniesthatissuethem.Forexample,oneyeartherewere640globesonthecovers.And325eagles.Otheryearswemightseeacertainsoftwaretechniquetakingover.”

Where does relevance reside?

Inthelargestsense,relevanceisthequalitythatdetermineswhetherapieceofcommunicationis“working.”It’snotaningredient,likefresh-groundpepper,thatcanbeaddedattheendofthecookingcycle.Youcan’tsimplyselectthelatesttypeface,hireahotillustra-tor,tossinacoolnewcomputereffect,and—voila!—relevance.Themagichappensnotonthepagebutinthemind. AccordingtoCambridgephilosopherC.D.Broad,theprimaryroleofthehumanbrainistoblock outinformation.“Eachpersonisateachmomentcapableofrememberingallthathaseverhap-penedtohim,andofperceivingeverythingthathaseverhappenedeverywhereintheuniverse.Thefunctionofthebrainandnervoussystemistoprotectusfrombeingover-whelmedandconfusedbythismassoflargelyuselessandirrelevantknowledge,byshuttingoutmostofwhatweshouldotherwiseperceiveorrememberatanymoment,andleavingonlythatverysmallandspecialselectionwhichislikelytobepracticallyuseful.” Youcanwatchyourownbrainblockingoutinfor-mationasyoushopforgroceriesinthesupermarket.Youpushyourcartdowntheaisle,scanningtheshelvesforthosefewproductsthatare“likelytobepracticallyuseful.”Meanwhile,30,000otherpackages,designedtobeespeciallyintrusive,somehowescapeyourattention.Why?Notbecausethey’retooquietlydesigned,butbecausethey’reirrelevanttoyourimme-diateneeds. Acommonshortcuttorelevance,asortofback-stagepasstothebrain,isthepromiseofnewness.Theguardiansofourconsciousnesstendtoletnewnesscomestraightthroughbecauseyouneverknow—itmightbeimpor-tant.Thuswecontinuetoreadnewspaperheadlinesandlistentogossip,andweevengivethoselittleredsnipesonsupermarketpackages—NEW!—thebenefitofthedoubt.Butnewnessinitselfisnoguaranteeoflastingsuccess.Ifthenewnesswe’vebeenpromiseddoesn’tfillaneed,weeventuallyrejectitasirrelevant. Onedangerwedesignersfaceisourprofessionaladmirationofthenew.Weappreciatethedifficultleapsofimaginationrequiredbythecreativeprocess;westretchourmentalmusclestomeetorbeattheachievementsofourpeers;we’reeventemptedtograbatpass-ingfadstoinfuseourworkwithsomething—anything—fresh.Butwhatwesometimesforgetisthatouraudiencesdon’tnecessarilyshareourcreativeenthusiasm. CarlJung,inMan and His Symbols,postulatedthatourmindsresistthenewandunknown.Hecitedanthropologicalstudiesofprimitivepeopleinwhichadeepandsuperstitiousfearofnovelty,

Design,

if relevant,

becomes a

machine for

communication.

It strives for

the highest

level of per-

formance.

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“Ortrendyphrases,”saysPat.“Oneyearitwasvalue added.”“Orgrowth in the global marketplace,”addsGreg.“Andbuild-

ing shareholder value.”SaysPat,“Clientsstarttofeelthatcertainthemesareappropri-

atesimplybecausethey’veseenthemsooften.Butwefeelthatbecausetheseoverusedthemeswon’tallowthemtostandout,bydefinitionthey’reinappropriate.”

AddsGreg,“Themarketplacetodayistotallynumb.Whetherit’sannualreports,advertising,evennewmedia,thepublicisdel-ugedwithsomuchvisualmaterialthattheycan’ttellgoodfrombad,factfromfiction.Butarelevantconcept,ifcar-riedthroughproperly,hasagoodchanceofgettingyourmessagethrough.Especiallyifyoucantakeittoalevelbeyondmereeffectiveness.”

When in rome, use times roman.

Differentaudiencesrequiredifferentgraphiclan-guages.Messagesthatrivetoneaudiencemaybaffleanother.Aristotlewrote,“Agoodstylemust,firstofall,beclear.Itmustnotbemeanorabovethedignityofthesubject.Itmustbeappropriate.”

Asweexittheindustrialera,alongwithitsmass-marketeconomy,oursocietyisgrowingmorediverse.Everythingfromlifestylesandproductstotechnolo-giesandthemediaisbreakingintosmallergroupsandsubgroups,eachwithitsownnarrowinterests.Ourclients,ratherthantryingtobeallthingstoallpeople,arelearningtofocustheirmessagesaspreciselyaspossibleontheaudiencestheywanttowin.Andwedesignersmustlearntospeakthestyle-languagesofthoseaudiences.

ChrisPullman,designdirectorofWGBHinBoston,hasbecomesomewhatofanexpertonaudiences.Hisorganization’s“productline”includesawidevarietyofpublic-televisionprograms,eachaimedatadifferentagelevelorinterestgroup.

“Relevanceisarichsubjectforme,”saysPullman.“Eachpro-gramatWGBHhasadifferentsubjectandadifferentaudience—andthereforeadifferentstyle.Thequestionis,howcanabusinessthatthrivesonheterogeneouscontentachieveameasureofcontinu-ity?FromthebeginningIrealizedtheanswerlaybeyonddevelop-ingasetofcolorsoratypographicstyleoraconsistentgrid.Wehadtogoupstreamtomorefundamentalissues.Weendedupwiththreecriteriabywhichwemeasurethesuccessofeachdesign:Isitclear?Isitaccessible?Isitappropriate?”

Appropriatenessdependsalotonattitude,explainsPullman.“Adesignthatcomesontoostrongisofteninappropriate,unlessit’s

forarock-and-rollprogram,inwhichcaseIwouldwantittocomeonstrong.Iwouldwantittobein-your-face,tobeedgy.Eachdesignneedstohavetherightpersonalityforitspurpose.

“Thesecondaspectofappropriatenessisstyle—thephysicalorvisualformofthecommunication.Giventheaudienceandthemessage,whatshouldthepiecelooklike?Peopleinthesixtiesstaredatpsychedelicpostersasifthey’dbeensentfromMars.Buttotheintendedaudience,thelime-greenandDay-Gloorangeletteringwaslikeanin-grouphandshake,acodethatwaseasilydecipherablebythecognoscenti.

“Thethirdaspectisresponsivenesstotheparame-tersofthejob.DoIhaveenoughtimeandmoney?AmIexpendingtoomucheffortornotenough?IfI’mdesigningaposterforademonstrationatTiananmenSquare,Ineedtorespectthelimitationsofthejob.I’mnotgoingtodoalotofroughs,orsquareitupper-fectly,orprintitinsixcolors.I’mgoingtograbsomecardboardandsomepaintandwhackitout.That’stheappropriatesolutionforthejob.”

Thefinaltestofappropriateness,Pullmancon-cludes,isprecedent:“Doesitknowitsownhistoryandfitintoitsfamily?There’susuallysomethingthatwentbeforeorsomethingthathastofollow.Designdoesn’texistinavacuum.”

Fighting the good fight.

Ifitweresimplyamatteroftickingoffcriteriaonachecklist,relevancewouldbeeasytoachieve.Butrelevancehassubtlefoes.

InSanFrancisco,designerMichaelMabryfeelshemustbattlemarketforcesthatminimizethedesigner’srole.“Someclientstendtobuydesignthewaytheybuyashirtorapairofslacks—theyselectyouforyourlook.Theopportunitytodiscoverasolutionbeyondthelimitationsofstyleisstrippedfromyou.Youbecomeasortofproduct.

“MyfriendswonderwhyIdon’tjustslapaprefabricatedstyleoneveryproblemandcallitaday,”continuesMabry.“ButI’vealwaysthought,perhapsnaively,thatadesignershouldbeabletosolveanyproblemhesetshismindto.Thedownsideisthatit’smoredifficulttobuildareputationwhenallyourjobslookdifferent.

“Somedesignersbelieveyoucanbecomeastarifyoubuildyourcareeronaconsistentstyle,”saysMabry.“Butthatbeliefcanleadyoudownsomepatheticpaths.Thenextthingyouknow,you’retryingtosellyourclientsdesignsthataren’tintheirbestinterests,justtogetpiecesyoucanshowyourpeers. That’swhyclientsdon’t

21Critique WINTER 1997

Our clients

are learning

to focus their

messages as

precisely as

possible on

the audiences

they want

to win.

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Critique WINTER 199722

A risk-taking design for Lincoln

National positions the company

as a mover and shaker in the

notoriously cautious insurance industry.

The bold imagery and unconventional

layout would stand out in any stack of annual

reports. Greg Samata and Erik Cox, designers;

Sandro Miller, photographer.

It’s a rare design firm that can bring

high style to industrial companies.

In SamataMason’s 1991 annual report

for a dental supply company, X-rays

serve as startling—yet undeniably

relevant—illustrations. Greg Samata

and Dan Kramer, designers; Victor

Penner and Dennis Dooley, photogra-

phers; Gendex Corporation, client.

23Critique WINTER 1997

SamataMason’s 1995 annual

report for AptarGroup leaves no

doubt about the company’s

product line: pumps, clo-

sures, and aerosol valves.

Pat Samata and Greg

Samata, designers.

The 1994 annual report for IMC Global,

a worldwide supplier of crop nutrients,

uses photos of food plants on watercolor

backgrounds to evoke feelings of

freshness and purity. Greg Samata and

Dan Kramer, designers; Edward Krigsman,

illustrator; Glen Gyssler, photographer.

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Critique WINTER 199724

An institutional brochure tells the story

of WGBH, complete with scores of facts.

For example, did you know that the GBH

stands for Great Blue Hill, the location of

their radio transmitter? Gaye Corbet

and James Augusto, designers.

A small-format brochure for an

animated show called Arthur!

(for ages 3–8) was designed to

attract corporate sponsors.

Alison Kennedy, designer.

“Each program, or ‘product,’ at WGBH

has a different subject, audience, and style

of storytelling,” says VP of design Chris

Pullman. “Each is given its own treatment,

from the program itself right through to

the promotional materials.” For viewers

of their Carmen Sandiego game show

(ages 9–14), the WGBH group designed

a sheet of tear-off trading cards. Ellis

Gianocostas, Christopher Moisan, and

James Augusto, designers.

25Critique WINTER 1997

Press kit and stationery for a ten-

episode series on the history of rock

music.“Rock” is printed on the front

of the envelope; “& Roll” is printed on

the back. Gaye Corbet, designer.

A brochure for Nova explains how

high-school science teachers can

coordinate their curriculum with on-air

programs. Bound inside is a copy of

Novazine, a magazine designed by

WGBH to get students excited about

science. Doug Scott, designer.

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Critique WINTER 199726

Sometimes the best solution is the

most obvious one, as with this low-

tech packaging for an orange-liqueur

pound cake from El Paso Chile

Company. What makes it unique is

Mabry’s tangy illustration.

Michael Mabry designed the Mon

Jardinet identity and soap packages

to look vaguely antique—and very

French. The name Mon Jardinet came

from poet Paul Verlaine, who likened

the human heart to a small garden.

Critique WINTER 1996??

A Fila giveaway poster designed by

Mabry for the 1996 Summer Olympics

manages to arouse patriotic feelings

despite—or maybe

because of—its nos-

talgic self-mockery.

Scott Cimock, art

director; John Huet,

photographer.

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27Critique WINTER 1997

Michael Mabry’s bottle graphics for

Eau du Matin—a light fragrance made

from all-natural ingredients—create

an interesting space between the black

type, which is printed onto the front,

and the frosted type, which is etched

into the back.

The Mabry-designed Golden Shears

Award, bestowed by Focus Magazine

and Absolut vodka on the year’s

most outstanding fashion designer,

can be viewed as a pair of scissors or

a human figure. Matthew Drace,

art director.

A tabloid-size brochure for Metro

Furniture, a stylish subsidiary of

Steelcase, was designed by Mabry to

look very different from the materials

issued by its straitlaced parent.

An outdoor poster (above) for

Levi’s SilverTabs makes you want to

try on a pair yourself, while adhesive

tags (below) save the trou-

ble of pulling each pair

out to see which style

is which. Accordian-fold

brochures (above left

and right) establish the

hip image of the brand.

Aubyn Gwinn and

Michael Mabry, design-

ers; Albert Watson,

photographer.

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Critique WINTER 199728

Pirtle’s 1994 annual report

for Nine West Group

reflects the black-and-white

color scheme of Nine West

store environments. Three mini-

booklets, each representing

a different line of shoes,

are bound inside the report.

The National Audubon Society’s 1995

annual report, designed by Pirtle, has the

look and feel of a wildlife guidebook.

PH

OTO

S: R

ICH

AR

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AN

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“A design solution should be graphically

pleasing on some level,” says Woody Pirtle,

“but it should also talk to the

audience.” His packaging for Flying Fish

Brewing Co. is built on a sassy trademark;

even the beer glasses tell you

when it’s time for a refill.

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Critique WINTER 1996?? 29Critique WINTER 1997

Ad for Watch City Brewing Co., a micro-

brewery located in the former clockmaking

town of Waltham, Massachusetts. The beer-

filled pocketwatch, designed by Pirtle,

serves as the client’s logo. John Klotnia and

Seung-il Choi, designers.

A dream-like poster for UCLA’s

summer schedule promises

the ultimate Southern California

learning experience. Woody Pirtle

and Seung-il Choi, designers.

The jacket and book design

for PaineWebber Art Collection:

bold typography in the spirit

of 20th-century art. Woody Pirtle,

designer; Rizzoli, publisher.

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relevance Checklist

A concept can be exciting, fresh, or imaginative, but unless it meets the requirements for relevance it can never attain maximum effectiveness. Try testing your next design solution against the following criteria:

readability.Canyourdesignbedecipheredbytheintendedaudience?Differentaudienceshavedifferentexpectations.Forexample,apersonshoppingforacomputerwillhavelesspatienceforambi-guitythanapersonreadinganartmagazine. effort.Doesyourdesigntrytoohardornothardenough?Noteveryassignmentoffersscopeforbrilliance.Bythesametoken,aseriousmessageshouldn’tbedashedoffasifitwereamemo.Theamountofeffortshouldmatchtheimportanceofthejob.

Looks.Whichvisualstyleismostappro-priateforcommunicatingthemessage?The“look”orstyleofthedesigniscrucialnotonlyforattractingtherightaudiencebutforintensifyingthemes-sage.Itshouldspringfromtheconceptandnotfromthelatestgraphicfashion. economy.Isyourdesignresponsivetothebudget?Ifyouknowyourproductionlimitationsfromthestart,youcandesignaccordingly.There’snothingworsethanhavingyourfour-colorcon-ceptapprovedasatwo-colorprintingjob.

Voice.Doesyourdesignhavetherightpersonality?Everymessageshouldprojecttheattitude,bearing,andtoneofvoiceofitssender.Imaginethecompany,product,orserviceasapersonwithuniquepersonalitytraits,andletyourdesign“speak”withthatperson’svoice.

Antecedence.Doesyourdesignfitwithinitsfamily?Veryfewjobsexistontheirown.Instead,theymustreflectthecharac-teristicsofpreviousdesignsorsetthestageforsequels.Evenone-offdesignscanbenefitfromyourknowledgeofpreviousworkinthesamecategory.

Need.Doesyourdesignanswerthebasicneedsofthejob?Inarushtodosophisticatedwork,wesometimesforgettosolvethefundamentalproblemsoftheassignment.Makesureyou’renotbringingaBibletoagunfight. timeliness.Cantheworkbecompletedinthetimeallotted?It’sbettertoproposeasimpledesignyoucanfinishthanacomplexdesignthatputsthedeadlineatrisk.Designerswhomasterthisprinciplebecomefast,reliable—and,insomecases,wealthy.

trustdesigners.Sure,youmightbecomefamouswithinthedesignfield,butit’sahighpricetopayforsuchpaltryfame.It’sbettertobegoodatyourcraft,exceedyourclient’sexpectations,andhavesomefunalongtheway.”

WoodyPirtle,apartneratPentagraminNewYork,agreesthatawardshowsmaybeluringdesignersawayfromrelevance.“WhenIwasjuststartingout,likemanyyoungdesigners,Iwasconcernedwithgettingpublishedandwinningawards.ButIalsobelievedthattowinanawardadesignhadtoberelevant.Today,withsomuchworkcompetingforawards,apiecehastostandoutfromthemain-streamjusttogetnoticed,whichmakesiteasierforirrelevantworktogetin.”

Anotherobstacletorelevance,saysPirtle,isthecomputer.“Alotofyoungerdesignersseemtobeusingtechnologyasasubstituteforideas.Technologyhassomehowbecometheidea.I’mhopingourcomfortlevelwithcomputerswillincreasetowherewecanconcentrateonsimple,clear-thinkingcommunication,unencum-beredbybellsandwhistles.

“Thisisnottosuggeststyleisn’tamajorcomponentofdesign,”Pirtleadds.“Itcertainlyis.Butthestyleofadesignshouldfittheclient,theclient’spositionontheconservative-liberalcontinuum,andthenatureofthestory.Thenyoucanchoosetheappropriatestylistictoolstotellthatstory.I’mluckyenoughtobeabletodrawandcreatemyownimages.Withtheabilitytovisualize,thestylecanbedrivenbytheconceptandnotbymylimitations.Itgivesmeanumberofwaystorealizethesameidea.”

ChrisPullmanseestwomainpitfallsinthepursuitofrelevantdesign.“Oneishabit,whereinsteadoflookingateachjobwithfresheyeswerelyonourpreconceptions.Theotherisoriginalityforitsownsake,withoutreferencetotheotherdimensionsofappropriateness.”

TheSamatasaddtwomoretrapstothelistofdangers:fadsandfears.Theywarnclientsanddesignersnottomistaketrendsfortimelesstruths.“Thegaugeofrelevanceiseffectiveness,”saysGreg,“notsafety.”

“Clientsareoftenafraidtosticktheirnecksout,”addsPat.“Butwheneveryouseeagreatdesign,it’sbecausesomeonesomewherewaswillingtotakeachance.Don’tavoidrisk.Don’tbeafraidtoshowyourbestwork.”

Unliketheperfectbalanceofnature,truebalanceindesignisdifficulttoachieve.Thebestworkcomesfromthebalancingoftwoopposingstances:therebelliousmindthatbreaksrulesandresistseasyanswers—andtherelevantmindthatseeksrightnessandfitnessofpurpose.Thehardwork—andtherealrewards—comewhenbothareusedtothefullest.

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