Chappell Ellison
You’ll Never Guess the Amazing Ways Online Design Writing and Criticism Has Changed
Design Observer
You’ll Never Guess the Amazing Ways Online Design Writing and Criticism Has Changed
You’ll Never Guess the Amazing Ways Online Design Writing and Criticism Has Changed
Through critically observing the current state of online design writing, this pieces encourages a conversation about the present and future of the discipline. It is broken into three sections: the first provides critical commentary on design writing's new role as link bait, the second outlines the raw historical beginnings of online design discourse, and the final section invites the reader to imagine a future where we can once again harness the excitement of the early days of online design writing. This article is very straightforward, and aimed at all members of the design community.
2. The Brief: Summarize the commission you were given (or gave yourself). What was the context for this piece of writing, and what was the challenge posed to you? Where and when was it published? What is the approximate circulation of this publication? Who is the audience?Since this article was specifically aimed to the greater design community (practitioners, writers, educators), it was pitched to Design Observer, one of the few platforms that supports longer essays for a general design audience. In recent years, design writing has done more to serve the tech community than its own. We have to remember to support and encourage inner-community discourse to encourage the growth of this discipline that we all love.
3. The Intent: What point of view did you bring to the piece? What did you hope would happen as a result of your piece?My generation just missed out on the era of Speak Up, the first online forum created for in-depth discussions on design. I've found myself yearning for a similar online community where design issues can be debated. The intent of this article was simply to encourage the design community to speak honestly about the current state of design writing, and, more generally, to be more proactive about discussing design issues with one another.
4. The Process: Describe the rigor that informed your piece of writing. (Research process, sources, reporting, fact checking etc., as applicable.)This essay grew over time as I continued to have many one-on-one discussions with professional design writers who admit to noticing a lull in our discipline as of late. This opinion was affirmed by Rick Poynor, who sat with me for an hour, discussing the history of design writing, and his disappointment with the current climate. My essay was informed by these opinions, by design history (First Things First, Bauhaus, etc.), and by my own desire for an optimistic future.
5. The Value: How does your piece of writing earn its keep in the world?This essay has sparked discussions among established design writers about the possible creation and launch of new design publications. I've been approached by design writers who are thinking more creatively about the future of online design journalism, and I now hold a firm belief that there are amazing things on the horizon. In addition, I regularly receive emails from young designers and design writings seeking more guidance on how they can contribute meaningfully to the discipline. And that's pretty much the best outcome I could possibly ask for.
We were glad to see an entry that addressed the issue of criticism and design and the ways in which has been flattened by the internet (paired with stories about eclairs and Corbu desserts.) This was the only entry that took on this issue, an important one in the design community. But we think what kept this entry from being a winner or a runner-up is the fact that the questions it asked didn’t go far enough. We think at this point, it has been well-established that criticism of all stripes is in crisis. We would have liked to have seen other questions addressed, such as how does this condition affect the way people view design? And how does it affect the work designers do? Are designers sitting around trying to think of web memes simply to get online? Instead of working on real design problems?