Design is a Commodity

I was recently asked to speak to a group of graduate design students as they started their capstone project. As I prepared for the talk, I wanted to ensure that I shared something with them that they couldn't just Google or ask their nearest AI tool to explain. I was committed to giving them something that would hopefully empower them on their journey into the workforce. The only words that came to mind were "Design is a commodity." Let me explain.

If you are in a creative profession, odds are you have been laid off, close to being, or know someone who has been laid off in the past 6 months. Every day, you hear about the looming threat of Apple Intelligence, excuse me, Artificial Intelligence. Will I have a job tomorrow? Will my business survive? Oh! my absolute favorite, the ads that read "Unlimited ______ design for $50 a month!" Seriously, I see one of these a week and it makes me nauseous. We can all agree that the marketplace is going through a renaissance of sorts, and creativity is taking a hit. It reminds me of when I was approaching getting my degree in Architecture two years after the housing crisis in 2008. I was in no rush to enter the workforce.

I can go on about the current state of our economy, but that is not my expertise. My expertise is design. A skill that I believe is becoming more and more commoditized, every single day. Why? Well, the definition of commodity is a useful or valuable thing that can be bought or sold.

Everyone thinks they are a designer. If we are being honest, all you have to do today these days is just to write designer on your LinkedIn profile, and voila! You are a designer. No prerequisites need to be met, no certifications, just a pretty picture or, even worse, a nicely trained AI tool.

Let's go back to simple economics here: If there is a surplus of anything, the value decreases. This is my only explanation for why I keep seeing those ridiculous ads! We are not too far off from designers being the next BOGOF(Buy One Get One Free) sale at your local grocery store. OK, OK, I digress.

The hopeful message I brought to this group of students was that; design may be becoming a commodity, but your identity will never. The unique composition of experiences and attributes that make you one of none. There is no one in the world like you, and no other designer sees the world the same as you.

The hard part is doing the necessary work to realize why and how you are unique. How can you look at this design problem or project in a way no one else can? This takes work. However, this is the work that empowers your gifts and ultimately brings peace to yourself, those you design with, and those you design for.

It took me 5 years to realize what we do at a small studio that no other design agency can claim, Identity Architecture. This is why we won't just do it; we will not become a commodity and be compared to the $50 a month designs. I was also able to further our purpose by defining an infinite mission statement; limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate, rather than finite; having limits or bounds. "Empowering creative leaders to use their gifts to bring peace." This focus and purpose has made the work we do at a small studio every single day much much more than just design.

In the end I encouraged the students to answer one question to help them avoid becoming lost in this void of sameness.

What is your purpose for designing right now?

‍ Honestly, answer this questions for yourself. Then, decide if it is finite or infinite? Lastly, what are the odds (0-100%) that someone else in your class, your team, your community wrote a similar purpose?

Simply put, the higher the odds, the more of a commodity.

Don't become a commodity, the world needs you.

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