Davis Dna DesignsBe careful not to steal the work of others
It is said that the human eye picks up thousands of images per day, and although most of them are forgotten, they’re all stored in the depths of our subconscious minds.
A while back when I posted obsessed with collecting lines, I asked whether it was possible to be inspired by too much? I still don’t have a definitive answer to this, but my advice to designers was to be careful in terms who and what you’re influenced by.
When it comes to designing brand identity or anything for that matter. Be careful not to copy the designs that you may have seen and have been influenced by, but have since been put to the back of your mind. I made that mistake not to long ago.
I had created a design that turned out very similar to a design that a friend had previously created. This was by no means my intention to create a similar design, but after a couple of days, I came to realise that it wasn’t the point.
It may not have been my intention but I should’ve been more careful and mindful of the designs around me. I subconsciously copied a design that I had previously admired, and I almost lost a friend because of it.
As designers we have a responsiblity to uphold the values of this profession. One way to do this is to be aware of the designs around us and be careful not to copy the things we admire and are influenced by.
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Thank you. :)
There was a great YouTube video that now seems to be offline showing Paul McKenna setting an advertising brief to a couple of different people after they travelled on a predetermined taxi route (and after they saw a number of billboards, shop signs, etc.). The project results were just as anticipated, although I’m always wary of what I see on TV.
I haven’t seen that particular clip but I am familiar with his work. I imagine there is ‘some’ truth to his experiment.
Influence in that psychological way has always interested me.