As a Designer,
my approach to visual elements and communications is one of a dialogue; a dialogue between the intended idea or message being conveyed by a visual piece and the viewer or audience. This takes the obsession away from the medium or art tools and relieves the pressure of how to be aesthetically pleasing and allows me to concentrate on the intended idea or message. I approach each design task in response to the challenge. Doing my due diligence to research the particulars of each assignment and adequately explore the most efficient ways to address the questions asked or the message intended allows me to end up with a solid foundation that creates enjoyable and unique possibilities of the types of visual elements that I can employ.
This doesn’t permit my final designs to be aesthetically inept or give it the liberty to lack attractiveness though. It otherwise gives it the opportunity to have immense quality and contain unique and innovative solutions. I liken this to analogies of a tree. The most important part of a tree are the roots. I believe a tree is only as healthy as its roots. A tree’s roots anchor the parts of the tree above the ground and determine how sturdy it is subject to the elements. The roots also absorb and transport water and minerals from the soil to the rest of the tree, allowing it to grow properly helping it’s leaves and fruits to blossom beautifully. It is also interesting that the roots that dictate the quality of the tree (the part of the tree that we can all see) and is arguably the most important part of the tree operates in the background and isn’t usually showcased as a part of the “final piece”. This is reminiscent to how the planning process of an artwork or a design piece operates. One can then say the quality of the final design is at the end of the day subject to the attention given to the planning processes.