Owning Photoshop Doesn’t Make You a Graphic Designer

I own exactly 2 tools: a hammer and a screwdriver. Fortunately Mr. Weenie has nails and a saw, so I’m pretty sure I could build a house if I wanted to. Now that I think about it, I also have a box of pens and an art degree, so I’m fairly confident I could draw up a set of blueprints as well. Wow, that would really save us a lot of money!

So how many architects/builders/potential neighbors have I insulted/terrified so far? Probably the same number of graphic designers living in constant fear of the CEO’s Macbook-toting nephew, Zach. Having a kitchen full of pots and pans doesn’t mean I can cook (just ask Mr. Weenie), and owning Adobe’s Creative Suite doesn’t mean you can (or should) whip up a company logo on your day off.

Ouch.

Back in the day, graphic design involved sharp instruments and precision. (Early career injury during internship; circa 1989)

Having the right tools for a job is important, but using a tool without the skill, knowledge and experience to back it up only leads to inferior work (and possibly an unexpected trip to the emergency room).

Some tools, such as computers, change over time (The hammer? Not so much.), but the purpose for which we use them generally remains the same. What used to take an hour with an X-Acto knife and rubber cement (translation: scissors and glue) now takes less than a minute with a few clicks of the mouse. In fact, the tools of graphic design have become so simple to use, even a rocket scientist (or my niece) can do it. Does that mean it’s okay for your assistant to produce a  flier for the company picnic? Absolutely. Should you outsource the annual report to your dentist? Probably not.

It’s true, graphic design can be great fun, and I’m extremely lucky to be doing it for a living. However, the journey from crayons to laptop didn’t happen overnight. Years of design courses, low-level production jobs, corporate soul-death and a graduate degree from the University of Learning Shit the Hard Way have gotten me to this point. Graphic design tools are only as powerful (or dangerous) as the designer behind them.

Now, step away from the mouse before someone gets hurt.