Design vs. Style vs. Illustration

It was only a matter of time before I spilt my mind on this subject. It's been on my mind quite a bit ever since I've first started applying for jobs here in London. First, have a look at the newly styled wall in my kitchen. Due to the fact that several of us flatmates are temporary, there is not much decoration around the flat. Enter Paperchase. I received a FREE (yes, still my favorite price) calendar from my place of employment with the theme of coffee. So I styled my kitchen wall with the photos from the calendar.




Next order of business, it would be useful to read this article: F*** Style

I honestly don't know if I can say it better than the author of that article does. Having gone through a design program at a liberal arts university, I feel that I have been instilled with a sense of design as a problem-solver. So often we now see artists and illustrators, and their clients, calling themselves designers, and it's just wrong (don't misread tone, these people are amazing at what they do, e.g. Chuck Anderson of www.nopattern.com, but they are not so much problem-solvers as they are stylists).

I think the problem here is that the skills of a designer who practices "hardcore design" become cheapened by clients who seek illustrators with flashy styles to design magazine adverts and CD packaging. Obviously there is a place for illustration, but there is also a very important place for hardcore design. Many hardcore designers are talented stylists and illustrators. But most importantly, true designers solve problems. And that fact should never be overlooked.