*The New Manifesto*

Graphic Designer Manifesto

I am a graphic designer: distiller of ideas, creator of concepts, clergy of communication, archbishop of aesthetics.

Expect nothing less than the miraculous from me. Expect order from chaos. Expect meaning from the mundane. Expect me to take the water of your raw materials, and turn it into wine of visually intoxicating solutions.

Let's get a few things straight. I am not a software tool operator, a layout technician or a pimp for consumerism. I am not the hired gun who makes your logo bigger, who conjures up starbursts and lens flares, who orchestrates that illusive quality, "pop." If you're looking for the vinyl, blow-up doll of cheap, inferior, quickie design...you've come to the wrong place.

I am committed to excellence in my craft. I dedicate myself to researching, strategizing and structuring my concepts. Illustration, photography, typefaces and grids are my ingredients, and I am a master chef--not a burger joint short-order cook. My work takes time, passion, skill...I don't reheat leftovers.

Clichés, conventions and tired trends are my enemies...clarity, wit and originality are my friends. I build the foundations of my work on multitudes of sketches and thumbnails, because mine is a refining art, a distilling process. It's a sifting...to reveal the conceptual gold.

I pledge to fight against the infection of bad design. I have inoculated myself against this scourge. I'll work to educate the masses. I guard against all known symptoms of bad design, including:
- Lack of Concept
- Uninspiring Ideas
- Tool-Driven Art
- Loose Kerning
- Use of Clip-Art
- Plug-In Dependent Work
- Unoriginal Design
- Pull-Down Menu Effects
- Poor Execution

There's no place here for laziness or stinginess, for under-pricing or over-designing, for conventionality or mere fad. Instead, I must be courageous, radical and adept. After all, I create the overwhelming majority of this world's communications. Bad design is an oxymoron and an affront. Creativity and beauty compel me to a higher standard. Compromise is not in my dictionary. I won't be satisfied with grape juice...I make champagne.

I am a graphic designer.

Written by: Maria Chong
Concept by: Von Glitschka

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