Macromedia’s chief creative officer discusses the role of graphics design in creating optimal Web experiences.
GraphicsIQ is pleased to launch a new features series: the Champions of
Graphic Design. The series features in-depth interviews with the movers and
shakers in today’s Web graphics design industry, the design evangelists who work
tirelessly to ensure that good graphic design stays at the forefront of the Web
community.
The
first installment of the series features Michael Gough, Macromedia's chief
creative officer. Prior to joining Macromedia, he served as vice president,
brand design for Nike. Gough was also the chief creative officer and executive
producer at Quokka Sports, creative director at Construct, and co-founder of
Jones, Partners: Architecture. Gough recently took some time with GraphicsIQ to
talk about how graphic design contributes to the overall Web experience and
where he sees the future of design in an era of digital
publishing.
GraphicsIQ: What got you started/interested in
graphic design? What is your background?
Michael Gough: My background is in
architecture and before that theater. Design is a powerful tool for "getting at"
what engages and motivates people. Graphic design is just one of the myriad
disciplines that come together to create something or to sell something. I fell
into graphics in support of other areas of design when I realized how powerfully
persuasive graphics could be.
GraphicsIQ: What made you decide to move to Macromedia?
MG: I joined Macromedia because of the
challenge it represented (and continues to represent). Macromedia has always
built powerful tools in support of the design work of others but has never
really leveraged its own design abilities. Helping to create a strong design
culture in a predominantly engineering focused company is definitely my idea of
a good time.
GraphicsIQ: Does graphic design for print differ markedly from graphic
design for the Web? Why or why not?
MG: Yes and no. At an execution level,
things that work in print don't always translate to the Web and vice-versa. But
at an experience level, really good graphic design -- design that connects with
people to evoke the appropriate emotional response -- manages to shine right
through the worst execution, irrespective of the medium.
GraphicsIQ: What do you see as some of the best characteristics of
graphic design on the Web? Do any sites stand out?
MG: I'm pretty fond of our own site
(Macromedia.com). Good graphic design on the Web is graphic design that stays
out of the way of the technology and the tasks that users are trying to
accomplish. The single greatest problem with the (graphic) design of Web sites
is over design (although under-design might come in a close
second).
| GraphicsIQ: What are some pet peeves you have about today's Web graphic
designers and designs?
MG: As I stated above, I'm not a big
fan of graphic design for its own sake. The Web is a powerful communication tool
that often gets bogged down by too much design. And I don't just mean too much
stuff. Sometimes it's too much restraint or too much obfuscation. Any time the
end user is focused on the design at the expense of the communication or the
experience, then the design has failed.
GraphicsIQ: Macromedia talks a lot about the "experience." What role does
good graphic design play in that?
MG: If you think about graphic design
in isolation, then it's really about the surface appearance. We talk about
experience specifically because we want people to see past the design, the
functional aspects and the technology to the experience as a whole. Graphic
design certainly can play a role (good or bad) in the overall quality of the
experience, but we are trying to get people to think more holistically. There
are hundreds of factors that influence the quality of overall experience. It's
basically a "you know it when you experience it" as opposed to a "you know it
when you see it" thing.
GraphicsIQ: What technology, innovation or
development could take Web-based graphic design to the next level?
MG: The Web needs stronger
collaborative development tools. There are far too few really strong designers
who deal successfully with the technical side of good Web experiences. To take
digital experiences to the next level, designers and developers will need to be
able to work on the same files at the same time, teasing the most out of the
technology through design.
GraphicsIQ: Who is your hero of Web/graphic art design? Is there someone
out there today who just 'gets it'?
MG: No. The field is still in its
infancy. No strong leaders have emerged.
GraphicsIQ: Look into your crystal ball. What do you see as the future of
Web graphic design?
MG: In the future, there won't be
anyone doing digital design who calls himself or herself a graphic designer.
There will be people who specialize in various aspects of the experience -- from
interaction to narrative -- but surface design won't be talked about very much.
It will be more like the movie or television industry in that
regard.
GraphicsIQ: What is your motto when it comes to good graphic design? Any
final words of wisdom?
MG: ‘The hallucinatory effect is
derived from its extreme clarity and not from mystery or mist; nothing is more
fantastic, ultimately, than precision.’--Alain Robbe-Grillet on Franz
Kafka
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