Have you consider that HAPPY word and as well as desired emotion is overused in Life, and it impacts the trends and styles in Design too? Everything needs to be happy, looks and feels happy. The recent decade is nuts with a big hashtag happy. 😂
Let's free each other from nonsense of new our digital era and the new verb: "hashtaging", which has not yet be placed in dictionaries.
For newbies and digital addicts of "# s" understand one important thing here: the emotions & feelings you feel it inside you not when you hashtag them.✌🏻And Please do not hashtag freedom...Please, just silly people do it. Are you one of them, well, I used to be a long ago?
That's called being brainwashed. Unfortunately I woke up and I realise that in Design "happy", ""create happy", "happy design" also appeared.
Are you asking yourself how to create happy design?
If yes, read the rest, if you are not asking, read as well. You might find something what you already know. 🤘🏻 However, STAY FREE in your own THINKING.
People, as yourself, hashtag happy, happiness, love, smile, like it will be a marketing product...not the present emotion, feeling, which you right now feel inside you. All feelings are brought by certain life situations or person or ourselves brought to us but now they produce due to boom of the happiness as the core of life. Is happiness core of life or happiness became trendy?
Even in design world, happy became sort of style of design, has to be positive even if it is a hard topic. Let's deny the problem, and design something what speak about it but let's not make it as hard as it is...let's still show those smily faces, here and there.
How to become Happy Designer? Design Happy Projects in Happy Style.
Only Positivity counts...in positive style, and off course only positive colours and vibes.
As Designer and as Human, I am tired of ERA OF HAPPINESS and POSITIVE THINKING as became a product of life, not actual reality.
Deny low, negative emotions, also deny difficult subjects suitable design design. Make it all happy, fluffy, sweetly and smiley.
Present Trend on Design:
Candy Subjects + Candy Trends = Candy Lives - "Please give me Candy Feedback. I won't deal with any negative ones."
IS THIS DESIGN or is this a candy playground for designers who cannot deal with difficult subjects, difficult audience, difficult users and find even if it is difficult suitable style?
Design is well, not necessary candy, because what counts is AUTHENTICITY.
Any Subjects + Suitable Style = AUTHENTIC Products for AUTHENTIC People and their AUTHENTIC Lives - "Please give me Honest Feedback. I can handle anything, because I want to make a GOOD design."
GOOD MEANS REAL
CONSTANT HAPPY MEANS FAKE
So please start to make Design not Candies. Even if they are not so sweet, the good design still is tastefully designed.
Become Designer regardless if that's make you happy. Become Good Designer and by good I mean REAL. Avoid candy happy trends and happy products for happy short-term audience.
TO CREATE THE DESIGN WHICH LAST THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO IT IS: GOOD DESIGN DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING WITH HAPPY.
GOOD DESIGN HAS TO BE REAL, NECESSARY TO BE USED BY MANY AND UNIQUE.
SPEAK TO AUDIENCE AND SPEAK BY IT LOOKS.
Doesn't have to be happy with # happy, ok?...😉(We would not hashtag word happy here just to let you now, that's why there is space in between.)
Quite often those happy products of happy designers with happy hashtags are useless and just a great addition to already massive digital and/or physical rubbish on the top of massive waste.
The stage of fulfilment when your creativity is awaken doesn't have to be hashtag by happy as not everything what you will design will make you happy, but might make you REAL.
My Answer to "Being Happy" is to be Truthful to yourself, to be REAL in the current circumstances and people who you are with. To find and feel the fulfilment in all of this all together regardless of which stage of emotions is right now, how difficult and challenging life can be.
We were not born to feel only ONE Emotion...positive one, even if it is called so lovely as "LOVE" or "HAPPINESS". So we are not only become Designers, to make Candy Projects. Isn't it?
We were born to be real regardless of current science which denies reality as an actual fact or philosophy which questions existence as even actually possible...or religion which brings us to narrow thinking...regardless which one you choose.
If you want to be a DESIGNER you have to be REAL.
STAY OPEN MINDED + REAL + UNIQUE not necessary HAPPY. Creativity doesn't come just from HAPPINESS with #. That's nonsense those emotional # s.
Creativity comes from OBSERVATION AND AUTHENTIC EMOTIONS DESIGNED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS NOT ALWAYS DIRECT, SOMETIMES IRONIC, sarcastic or even outrageous.
Depends of the product, audience and cause.
That time your design, whichever subject you will take, will become authentic and will speak to the Audience.
Otherwise, you won't be able to create something that is for REAL PEOPLE. The design speaks not only through Pink Glasses of New Age Fashion of being positive. The design also speaks through Black&White chessboard with red ink of the constant grey paths of issues to be solved. Difficult problems. Not constant sweet Candies.
However, if you really want to be "HAPPY " designer and only create fluffy bunnies and sweet candies, here you have a website for you (look below)! Create only HAPPY design and leave another subject for those who actually can design by touching challenges and create a design which speaks to those who are awake from a dream of the soft cloud of a new era of constant positiveness.
Remember from a soft cloud, rain doesn't fall. Only from heavy, dark clouds. From Rain, the soil is ready to let the plants grow.
Decide if you want to be real, authentic designer or fake the happiness and create only "Happy" projects.
If you still want to avoid difficult problems in your design, please do and leave the mature designs to do the job. You might create stickers for 3 yrs old, which sometimes live in 37 yrs old ones.
Wear Pink Glasses, EAT PINK candies and deny the Grey Matter and GREY World Around with Grey Subjects.
Grey means - challenging, difficult, negative, obstacles, bad.
Live and design in the bubble, which one day makes you so narrow in your designer happy creative style that...well, you want see and feel anything else and you won't be able to design anything else.
But Remember:
Music, Art and Design can only speak to you when it is created by real people, musicians, artists and designers.
If you wait a moment and not deny this difficult challenge in your life, inside you or in the proposal for the project, you might actually find the real core of "happiness" the fulfilment which comes from authentic of human life as a whole from hate to love and back, from love to hate.
It is all about in Life. To be real even if we live in whichever speculation virtuality you want to buy for yourself to survive and feel better.
Because that's only matters. To feel full and that fulfilment comes in naturally, when you truthful to yourself and Life around.
NEVER DENY CHALLENGES and that time, your design become outstanding! AS IT WILL BECOME REAL. NOT NECESSARY ALWAYS HAPPY.
Sorry Alex Lemon, I am allergic to Yellow & Happy.
Next book please with title REAL! or FREE to be REAL!
Because it WILL BE REAL FOR REAL PEOPLE, good ones and bad ones, as we are both at the same time.
From challenges, obstacles, difficulties, because after rain is the rainbow and sun. This is constant flow, from A to Z, and from Z to A. Otherwise Life would not survive.
Nature doesn't deny the darkness, so don't you deny too in your life and your project.
Seek Answers from All Kind USERS not only those who comfort you and let you believe that your Design is AMAZING! It might be quite opposite.
Happy Design for Happy People...to feel Happy...if your audience wants to receive only happy stuff to feel happy, having Users Tests with them will give you only "positive" feedback...
but were is real, honest, truthful feedback?
Well, you didn't deserve it a you follow HAPPY DESIGN agenda of New Age of Positive Thinking, Positive Questions, Positive Answers...here you go, what goes around, comes around.
WANT REAL ANSWERS?
ASK REAL QUESTIONS! 😉
DO NOT BE AFARID OF REAL FEEDBACK!
Only REAL FEEDBACK CREATE REAL PRODUCTS FOR REAL PEOPLE. THOSE REAL PRODUCTS STAY WITH US FOR LONGER THAN WE LIVE.
Do not deny difficult, challenging subjects in your design and create, create, create what has to be said and done and speak loudly.
But if you still want have a constant fake smile on your pretty face of happy designer with # happy and create a happy products for happy customers, check this out https://design.org/ and create only "happy design"...to feel only happy.
happiness as hashtag and as style of life and design isn't unique anymore, became so popular nowadays as a marketing trend that it is easily mix with any other happy stuff.
No comment on this "create happy" ...
Sorry Guys from design.org, but just the idea of # createhappy as the main heading on your website make me candy inside, and too much candies, is not healthy, isn't it? I am sure you know this.
Why not # real design or # good design # authentic design or # necessary design or # suitable or # unique design?? hmmm...? 🤔
[I would not hashtag them...sorry. 😁]
Too many candies, sugar, make you after awhile sick (yes, I repeat this again and again so you might start to think)...so think twice if you decide to consume and produce the only sweet happy creative design and advertise yourself as create happy design organisation - meaning bunch of people, who try to be happy in XXI 24/7 by creating happy design for happy people.
Do you do design for challenging subjects for challenging Users? Or you avoid it because, well it is negative, I cannot not do it. Or even if you say yes, you still make the rainbow in between, because, well it is too sad, bad or difficult and users "won't like it". HAVE YOU ASKED USERS?
NO SO HERE YOU ARE. BY GOOD DESIGN MEANS ASK USERS. ALWAYS!
Those people are dancing, not hashtag-ing (well, they might after, please don't).
In the moment they dance, let's assume they are fully in, as soon as they stop dancing to place hashtag of # happy # dancing # friends instead of feeling happy, dancing and enjoying friends they hashtag their life. New VERB - hashtaging. 😂
HASHTAGS are XXI, the last decade is the utopia of happiness, emotions and activities.
So instead hashtags # create happy design, start to make one, not necessary happy but real.
Oh btw, ARE YOU ONE OF THEM asking yourself how to be happy?
I am sure you are. HOW TO BE HAPPY?
AND LONG LIST OF THINGS TO DO TO STAY POSITIVE, STAY HAPPY?
HOW ABOUT QUESTION? HOW TO BE REAL?
Happiness became XXI trend, avoidance of reality, which sometimes is hash by we do not hashtag that...isn't it? 😆
Happy pills are everywhere. From fake smiles to fake feedbacks. From fake friends to fake products on shelves. All USELESS. UNNECESSARY. NOT REAL.
As Designers we should be real. Not Happy. Creativity doesn't have to bring you happiness. Creativity brings you opportunity to speak in your design about relative product, which your client wants to sell and it is your duty as designer to make an awesome, unique, catchy, authentic design so your design and your client product will last forever ever, be used as long as it is good, real, needed and as long as the competitor won't create better one even even if you design the folder for grave yards or for butcher or war, rape, domestic violent, corruption, justice and so on...
Those designs would not make you happy? Not really, isn't it?
So stop doing b.s. happiness, because if you creative, you CREATE ALL.
That's part of CREATION. The world is not just HAPPY. CREATION is full of opposites and that's the beauty of LIFE and ugly beauty of being Designer. You have the whole CREATION of possible products from ugly to beautiful, from sick to healthy, from life of baby to elderly in care home, from app for dating to app for rape crisis, from pizza delivery for EUR19.99 to hunger donation, from posh villas to poverty of homeless.
The horizon of everything and THAT'S REAL. That's DESIGN. That's CREATE # whatever.
NOT NECESSARY ONLY GOOD VIBES. THE REAL VIBES AND REAL FACES PLEASE.
HAPPINESS AND ME
P.S.: I had been there...myself (more about that in another post)...and I realise that Life has to taste REAL, not necessary everyday, every week happy, similar to my design, my audience. The design has to be GOOD to last and by GOOD I mean REAL=AUTHENTIC. That's time I won't ask myself a question? Design HAS TO SPEAK WHAT IT IS NECESSARY TO BE HEARD< SEEN< USED< SELL< RECEIVED...That's all.
If happiness is the core selling point, it is fine as much as if the grief is necessary next time.
If you can create variety of Design, that time you are on tHE top of the game.
Shift from one to another one with all variety of emotions and ideas.
Just like the any smart ACTORS avoid the same type of role, because to become GOOD ACTORS, if that's their goal, they know they have to act and play on variety of roles.
THE SAME AS WITH ACTORS IS WITH DESIGNERS. IF YOU WANT TO BE GOOD DESIGNER, BE REAL AND STOP MAKING ONLY HAPPY DESIGN. STOP AVOIDING OTHER STYLE IN DESIGN, THAT EVEN DIFFICULT SUBJECTS TASTE THE SAME AS CANDIES.
For example: Domestic Violence App
MAKE SADNESS AND SEE IF USERS FEEL IT.
MAKE PUNISHMENT AND SEE IF USERS FEEL IT.
Call to Action - REPORT NOW - ASK FOR HELP
EMERGENCY NUMBER - CALL US
This cannot make you Happy, it can make you fulfil that you help the good cause as designer, but others pain cannot just simply make you happy just because you create this app. If it does, if you do not feel sadness by feeling your Users, ask yourself if you not a psychopath. Because only psychopath can feel happy if others feel pain.
And if you feel the same feelings at least time to time during your design creation, that time your Users will feel you too and your design will speak by itself, and become real, authentic, unique and fulfil and actually good by helping others in what they need.
CREATE DESIGN, WHICH MAKE REAL CONNECTION WITH AUDIENCE.
THE AUTHENTIC SENSE between you and your Users.
JUST LIKE ACTORS NEED TO PLAY ROLE SO REAL THAT YOU FEEL IT UNDER YOUR SKIN AND WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN. THE SAME WITH YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS...well, I assume that you read books...all kind of topics,...oh sorry, I have forgotten: you just read HOW TO BE HAPPY AGENDA BOOKS? 😄
SO NOW DESIGNER START TO CREATE YOUR DESIGN SO REAL, SO GOOD THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO USE IT, HAVE IT, SHARE IT without even trend of hashtags for everything what you eat, drink, read, where you sit and what you breath.
surprise....sweet, the world without hashtags exist (btw in the end you will see all kind of hashtags but definitely not happy emotional b.s. fake trendy happy by #).
YOUR PRODUCTS< YOUR AUDIENCE< YPUR USERS
Different products, different audience, different Users. But hAS TO BE REAL. ALWAYS. Otherwise it won't sell and purpose of Design is to sell, to inform, to bring awareness, to educate etc.
How to be happy Designer? because if you REAL NONE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED. 🤓
REAL AUTHENTICITY MEANS GOOD DESIGN WHICH LAST.
AUTHENTICITY brings you automatic fulfilment without questions.
The same with your clients and users.
Those happy products of happy design produce on mass scale by happy agencies do not last long...swallow as quickly as candies and become blur in the era of similar trends on similar products.
And remember, even the difficult subject in design, might be enjoyable...why...because you speak TRUTH, and you become the Truth of Life, for example # truthful design by using variety of trends, variety of subjects and variety of emotions from angry design to sad design, from frustrate to joyful. All kind of designs out there as all kind of emotions, products and audience/users are there too.
You Match what is necessary in your design, not necessary always HAPPY.
Being creative designer is Being real, good designer not necessary happy.
So please give a break to WORD: HAPPY AS IT IS LOOSING OWN MEANING.
THANK YOU! 🤭
Does he smile because he create something real, what brings awareness and it is well designed or he create something super sweet regardless if it is real?
Marketing + Advertising = B.S.
Thanks to UX, we start to actually ask Users, before we publish something.
Enough Lies in Design. Users will speak themselves.
So let's create GOOD DESIGN not necessary Happy!
P.S.: LOVE YOU. Not Because you are nice to me, but because you are authentic as manager, client, teammate, friend and partner and even stranger.
Am I happy as Designer and Woman? Yes, Because I do not deny the difficult subjects, situations, people, projects, questions and answers from users.
Am I fulfilled as Designer and Woman? Yes, Because I am whole: LIGHT & DARKNESS constantly shifting, dancing together in various projects and life situations without denying anything.
Am I real as Designer and Woman? Yes, Because I touch wholeness.
And so on...
ENJOY LIFE as not just JOY but as a spectrum of all stages of emotions including the subjects of your Design and the Outlook how they look and what they speak.
That time none of your projects will be 💩 even if they are not "happy".
Otherwise it might happen that you just create for 🤡as you become one yourself.
And we have enough circus already in Politics - Globally, so at least with Your Clients and Users be REAL and Create real DESIGN, perform real USER TESTS.
By SIMPLY being a Real Designer you become a Good Designer.
I hope this was read by mature Designer, if not and you want to still believe in "happy" Life with "happy" Design, I will send you some candies and invite you for a spin on marry-goes-around.
Ciao Bambino! 🍭🍬🎠
Until Next Time. 😌
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