While toiling away on a redesign for the business side of my site last night, being the Mac geek that I am, I was listening to my iPod through my Powerbook in iTunes; I know, not necessary information but I just wanted to point out how much of a Mac geek I am. So I’m working on the redesign, okay, I was actually surfing the Net avoiding working on the redesign when Rage Against the Machine came out of my speakers. I of course did the only thing any sane person would do when that happens, I threw up the metal, \m/, and moved my head in time with the beat—by the way, my cats, who think I’m very odd to begin with, are now convinced of my oddity. Anyway, a conversation I had with my aunt in my early twenties came back to me. I recall asking her why she started listening to country music being a child of the sixties and all. She proceeded to tell me when you hit your mid-to-late thirties you start to “outgrow” rock & roll because “it’s too loud.” As if! In a couple of weeks I’ll be hitting my mid-to-late thirties marker and as I’m sure many people do when their birth-day nears, I became introspective.
Of course that introspection made me start thinking about my age and the perception of hip designers. Am I growing too old to be considered hip? Am I like those people, mainly women, you see in their retirement years wearing clothes that look like they were purchased in the Junior’s department (for unknowing folk, that’s teen girls)? Then I began to panic when I thought about all the things that have a shelf-life; canned goods, cereal, candy—hell, even Twinkies have a shelf-life, so, do designers? I have no other tangible skills and I can’t see myself ever working in a factory or retail again but I have to wonder, will it some day come to that? What are your thoughts—do designer’s have a shelf-life and how long before we all reach it?
And for the record, I am not switching to country music any time soon. I listen to the occasional alt/country music but that’s different, it’s hip.
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5 People Have Bloviated
Jennifer | Jan 23
I really like the question you pose. I really like your site. While I have this fatalistic sense that it all has to come to an end.. that my job can not be this cool forever.. it occurs to me that they are teaching powerpoint in highschool these days, which will inevitably breed millions of new underdeveloped creatives hacking away in airports creating slide after slide of bulletpointed hell – so.. I think your ok.. I think the hacks and half assers have a shelf life… you are obviously not either of those. xoxo jennifer
Jen | Jan 23
Thanks and thanks! I can’t believe I’m at a point in my life where I’m considering my Golden years. *shakes head*
There are always going to be horrific designers, both younger and older, I just guess I get nervous about my viability with my birthday nearing.
Mark | Mar 12
I dont think you have much to worry about. Im doing web design right now with virtually no experience before getting the job and your works really inspiring.
I think that designers just sort of transition from one thing to the next. The quality is the same its just that the tone is different.
Jen | Mar 12
Thanks for the compliment Mark. It’s hard to think about the future sometimes when it all can be so uncertain. I think part of my issue is that I tend to look at design the way the media sells it; some super trendy 20-somethings that make the design world spin. Actually, if I looked closer at the numbers, I’d probably see that I’m right where I should be.
Alex | Apr 21
Hey Jen, I think you can look at it differently. Being hip is not a part of what you are, it’s the way you are perceived by the masses or the way you perceive yourself. Look at fashion designers. Being “hip” or “hot” in fashion can last for just a season. Meanwhile a lot of designers are in the business for dozens of years. They may be acclaimed, respected, their collections can become milestones in the fashion history, but they would not be considered “hip”. Maybe one thing that you make during your career will be hip in that sense that others will think of it this way, even though you sometimes wouldn’t even think so about your own creation or would not anticipate such perception. At the other hand, you might think of yourself as “hip” or “hot” because you think that what you do is similar to something that someone else who you think is “hip” does. Like listening to music. If you were among the first ones who were into trip-hop, you’d be hip then. Then you’d be hip if you liked “The Prodigy”, and so on. That’s associating yourself with the hip crowd. But none of it has anything to do with a designer’s career. Even though reality is that sometimes everyone has to retire. But to retire != end of shelf life, it’s just two different concepts for me.