Are Designers Truly The Enemy Of Design?

Bruce Nussbaum, Business Week's assistant managing editor, recently wrote a really compelling article about the nature of design today. With all of the customiztion tools of websites like MySpace and other social networking sites, free graphics applications, online design tools, etc., almost everyone and their grandmother is a designer of some sort these days. Whether it's a product design, a print piece, a website or even an architectural project, many professional designers are having to be more interactive with their clients when it comes to design. It's becoming more of a Design Democracy if you will. As Bruce puts it, a shift from designing for to designing with a client. Maybe it's time to change your thinking. Then again, maybe not. I can't say that I agree wholly with what Bruce is saying. I belive that as designers we should always strive to involve our clients as much as possible in the design process, listen to them intently, and do our best to intepret their vision. I disagree with the notion that all controls regarding design should go out the window just so everyone can have their place in the "design sandbox". Earmark a few minutes to read and consider this piece. If you're a professional designer, you'll more than likely get your feathers ruffled by some parts. Stick with it though, it seems just a little off balance but he raises some interesting points and there are some well thought out comments you'll really want to read as well.