Identity design has three major mysteries. The first is how to put oneself in the place of another, that other person that the design is directed towards. That other who the design has to inform, teach, persuade or seduce.
To this end, the designer should perform as if an actor representing a character in a set scenario. This means that the designer would have to transform him/herself into their characterization and from that position to be able to express what that character can or should say. Thus, the role of the designer is to be able to mutate, to understand and to identify with his character.
This can be seen as a loss of personality by the designer or as a virtue, that of being flexible, or of seeking empathy. This also gives the designer the ability to learn and grow with each performance, with each design.
To achieve this act, the designer can use the same resources used by an actor. You can find similar situations to those to be represented at the depths of their experiences and stories, or can copy those who resemble your character. We can then imagine that a designer has the same challenge as when Robert De Niro had to learn to be a psychotic taxi driver for the film “Taxi Driver.”
The second mystery is to say the right thing. The thing that will result from the speech of objects and images that the designer creates. And, as has been said, it requires both clarity of the concepts at hand and the voice that expresses them.
In this sense, the dialogue of design is based on a script, in which the design as a message is sought. For its part, the voice of the design depends on the signs and symbols that are projected from the shapes and colors that are activated.
The third mystery is the soul of design. It is the power of design to reconstruct reality, to imagine new ways of living and even create new worlds for those who come into contact with these designs.
©Sebastian Guerrini, 2009
