snap2objects » Trends

Male versus Female Designers

estefany — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:20:48 +0000

Some time ago, we wrote the polemic article “70 designers that shaped the world”. After suggestions, we made the “Another 30 designers that shaped the world”. One thing that called attention was the few women present on the lists. Looking at the 100 designers, only 8 were women – among them, Eileen Gray, Zaha Hadid, Jean Muir, Vivienne Westwood, Irma Boom, Matali Crasset, Ray Eames e “Coco” Chanel. Is there any prejudice with women? Are there more male or female designers on the market? Does the gender really make a difference?

We can obviously conclude that something is wrong. Either women can’t work as well as men (which we know it’s not correct) or women are treated different than men for work. Women have been treated as subordinates since prehistory, it’s understandable that it wouldn’t change suddenly. But it’s not suddenly anymore, it has passed about six thousand years since prehistory.

Today I can see in the market that some companies choose designers considering the gender, most times in these cases, they rather man. One of the reasons for that is that they claim woman to be more sensitive or unstable (like having difficult to deal with criticism). Also, this is a subjective matter. Both men and women can have this kind of problem. I’ve heard about women that was rejected for a job just for being a woman or even got the job, but with a lower salary then the men’s.

On the other hand, sometimes they say a female touch is required. I myself have gone through a job interview on which they preferred me because I’m a girl and there were only man at the agency. They said they needed a female sensitivity, softer layouts and fresh delicate ideas. Again, it’s too subjective. A good designer does any kind of work, delicate, grungy, dark, light.

I’m not being feminist, we know that men and women are different and it’s natural. But both have the same capacity to do the same job without interferences caused by the gender. We must think that each person is different – there are good male designers and good female designers. And it’s hard to believe that in the XXI century there is still discrimination for woman. I seriously hope it will be gone in a near future.

What about you? As a woman, have you ever gone by some problem (or advantage) at the job just for being a woman? As a man, have you ever seen any kind of female discrimination? I told you how I feel about this issue, now tell me your experiences and opinions.

Photography in colors: Pink

estefany — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:08:23 +0000

This week we’ll brighten up the Photography in Colors series with Pink. Check out the different tones and combinations for this sweet color.

Pink: Mainly associated with female genres, it’s delicate and sweet. Suggests calm and tranquility, but also can indicate energy and happiness if saturated.

6 Photoshop Extreme Makeovers On Video

mao — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:47:43 +0000

Beauty is a Photoshop product. Now days you can’t see a photograph, without wonder if it has been “photoshoped” or not. Some end results are really plausible other not that much.

Here are 6 before and after extreme makeover videos using Photoshop.

Watch the video on Youtube

11 Images you might want to avoid in your designs.

mao — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:35:01 +0000

We have been talking about avoiding clichés lately, instead trying to reflect the unique personality of every business. That way our design will stand out among millions.

Sometimes the hardest situations come when our clients ask us to implement some not-so-unique elements and it seems almost impossible to convince him that it would be better to take another direction in order to differentiate his business.

There’s nothing wrong with the use of a specific image (or design trend). The problems come when we use them gratuitously, without asking why it should be there and if it is really conveying an honest portrait.

I will show some images I consider overused, since the beginning of the web, that could make your website (or any design) look generic, unimaginative and dated – if you use them just for the sake of it.

The handshake

This is one of the most classic business images on the web. There are countless websites and brochures with similar photos. The irony resides in that clients still ask for it. We should show how this image is overused if the idea of the client is to show a “confident”, “trustworthy” or “friendly” values. Then you should show other ways to convey that emotion with the use of other images, color palettes, and patterns.

The Call Center

This is another classic. I can’t remember how many clients have asked for this kind of picture, when the vast majority don’t even have a call center, or a single free line. And you can see all around the web these many unavailable live help services – giving nothing more than frustration to the clients.

The Globe

Does the company have any branches? Do the attendants speaks several languages? Does it have international clients? If the answers to the last questions were “no”, “no” and “no”, then you should reconsider why you want to give the international feeling to it.

The world in your hand

Same three questions from the last image. No, no and no?

The enter Key

Is it a design for a hardware related company? Maybe not. Maybe there is no need to sell keyboards–or use this image in the design. You may agree with me that you should think twice before using it.

The Clouds

I love to use “organic” elements in design. Clouds are always refreshing, but try not use the image on its own – try to give it a twist, to add some extra elements, maybe a kite or red balloon.

The Skyscrapers

The skyscraper image is another resource to communicate the idea of “power” and “internationality.” I find it very useful, as well as the use of city skylines. But consider using something more human and warm if the company you are working for is not that big.

The random media

This kind of image, any close-up of hardware, is widely used. But their use may give the design a “technological aura” that transmits the wrong idea.

The @ simbol

The @ symbol is a true gem. At least the spinning @ is not in fashion anymore.

The Group of professionals

The “we” instead of the “I”. Why show d vast group of professionals when it is a one (or two) man show?

Conclusion

Trying to avoid clichés is always hard work, not only in the pressure we can face but also in the temptation to offer a cookie cutter design just to give the client “what he wants”. That’s why we should always question the use of any element in our projects – why we are using it? What do we want to communicate? Is there another way to do it? Is it faithful to the business personality?

What other images do you think are over- and/or misused?