NorthTemple

Does design matter?

Two interesting things happened to me today. First, one of our internal clients asked me to take a design we’ve crafted for more than six months and keep everything except the primary color of the design. That small detail, the one color we chose first and with which we made probably 1000 decisions. Could you just change it real quick? (and it’s not to a different hue, it’s to an embarrassingly opposite side of the spectrum, and quite possibly a color only dogs can hear.)

Second, after rejecting two job applications without portfolio URLs in their resumes, I received two links from the recruiter that would have crashed Firefox if Firefox had that yet-to-be-released Will It Burn My Eyes Extension.

But that’s just it. Firefox doesn’t care how well-designed your site is, and neither do probably 99% of people who consume it. Recruiters wouldn’t know good design if it smacked them in the face. Clients, directors, vice presidents—are they any different?

If not, then why do we bother? If great design isn’t appreciated, then what?