‘Look and feel’ and other design ‘buzz terms’

This article is a response to the Look and Feel / Nip and Tuck article by Adrian Shaughnessy and also follows the article by http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2009/05/21/the-one-about-look-and-feel/

Adrian debates the meaning of the term and questions wether it is a relevant term to describe branding and consistency, a visual look that envokes the emotions or rather a term that reduces the role of a designer to someone who just makes pretty backgrounds.

For me there is no doubt that ‘look and feel’ is now a buzz word as working in a large communications agency I hear it daily, by people who probably wouldn’t have any idea what the term typography truly refers to. In short, it is definetey a term that is now not only used by designers.

And that is the difference. I think when it is used by designers it has a respect to it. It refers to the need for consistent branding across all materials that go far further than just a logo form. Indeed a logo form is almost an extension or climatic symbol of this. The term feel definetely suggests emotion, which is at the cornerstone of branding itself.

In this instance the term look and feel can strengthen the need for good considered branding. Where most agencies start by playing around with a logo to begin a branding project, perhaps look and feel is what they should really be concentrating on first, and later tackling that of a symbol to represent the look which encapulates the emotions of the company. I have often heard that a sign of good branding is being able to tell what company has produced the material, without having to look at the logo. Apple has often been a good example of this in the past.

But the danger is when non-designers start using the term to describe what designers do. It reduces the designer and that of the whole graphic design and branding professions. It makes it sound simple, and more importantly I believe that the person referring to it believes it is simple. Working in a large company it is unbelievable the amount of people who think they know about design.

Clients and fellow ‘account workers’ will insist that the copy on all pages should be enlarged randomly in point size to exactly fit the page with little regard to consistency. Ignoring your suggestions, and insisting they know just as much because they may like the way it looks. This is the danger, and it has probably long been something the design world needs to address. I am not sure non designers, clients or co-workers really have faith in designers as experts. I think some people make the mistake that because they know what they like looking at, they understand communication.

Yes, it is good that everyone talks about design, but designers still need to educate others and let them know there is a little more to it than just ‘look and feel’. A throw away term that makes it sound like something you can just apply with a click of a button in no more that half hour.

Do you agree?