Comments on: Design Versatility

By: Are you a Chameleon or do you have a Signature Style? « cmanningdesign

Are you a Chameleon or do you have a Signature Style? « cmanningdesign — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:07:30 +0000

[...] I found this article at http://webdesignernotebook.com/design/do-designers-need-a-personal-style/#more-1189 The question posed by the author is in response to A post by Darren Hoyt [...]

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:03:20 +0000

In my experience, the designs i work on are for a need the client has, or recently i work up the clients idea’s to suit the media. So very little is left for a signature style, and frankly most of it is difficult to use as a portfolio piece.

Also jumping from industry to industry i notice that clients mostly want to see work with a similar theme to their particular project, for instance the Heavy Metal band cares very little for the Tractor Sales Brochure that was pure genius.

Looking back at the my own body of work over the years, the only consistent pattern i can see is the clients needs / wants / desires.

As much as i would love to have a signature visual style as a designer, the chameleon approach is the only economically viable option for me personally. But that is why we all have the pet projects where we go mad on from time to time.

By: TG Designer » Design Tweets of the Week Ending 07/03/2010

TG Designer » Design Tweets of the Week Ending 07/03/2010 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:42:28 +0000

[...] Darren Hoyt asks an interesting question on his blog about whether designers should “design over a period of years in a consistent, signature style” or be versatile enough to change their style with each new job. [...]

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:01:27 +0000

Very good point about working freelance vs working on a team. If you’re freelance, that distinct personal style can certainly be part of how you advertise and charge since your ‘stamp’ is part of what they’re getting.

By: gfrederick

gfrederick — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:05:35 +0000

I think the answer largely depends on your situation. If you freelance or own your own firm, there is benefit to an identifiable style. If you’re on staff somewhere, you might be expected to handle whatever the day brings.

It’s not completely and either/or question. Even versatile staff designers absorbed wholly into the needs of their projects will develop a signature approach. It’s all part of perspective and personal growth.

I’ve been an art director for twenty years. I’ve never hired a staffer who could do only one thing, and I’ve never hired a freelancer that did a little bit of everything.

By: Design Tweets Of The Week Ending 07/03/2010

Design Tweets Of The Week Ending 07/03/2010 — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:23:29 +0000

By: Do designers need a personal style? « Ethereal Visions

Do designers need a personal style? « Ethereal Visions — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:36:30 +0000

[...] A post by Darren Hoyt caught my eye the other day (among the hundreds of unread posts on my RSS reader…) where he asked whether designers needed a personal style or not. I wrote up a quick comment at the time, but I feel the question deserves a little more discussion — specially because no-one seems to have a definite answer (my bet is that there isn’t one). [...]

By: Web Designer Notebook » Do designers need a personal style?

Web Designer Notebook » Do designers need a personal style? — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:29:02 +0000

By: Daus

Daus — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:06:15 +0000

I don’t think those two questions is a “polarized” questions. A good designer can have their own signature style, while still managed to update the trends. The best examples are Khoi Vinh, Mike Kus, or Jason Santa Maria.

By: Jauhari

Jauhari — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:54:44 +0000

I think the most important is ….
The Design That Work, Happy for client happy for designer ;)