[rwhitman]

Assuming that I made these observations by learning it in art school is "projecting hardcore" as well.

The observations I make are based on an inner circle of friends and business associates I've had over the last 13 years who are predominantly made up of brilliant graphic designers. Not that it puts me in a position of absolute authority on the subject, but I think thats a fair rebuttal.

[ulisesrmzroche]

Honestly, you're armchair psychology-ing from your Cabal of Elite Designers, Lords of Silicon Valley, which is the WORST part of HN - apart from the subconscious need to upvote walls of text they haven't read, because well, whatever, it's long it must be smarter!)

Your argument has absolutely no weight, and it offended me. "Yeah, the thing about designers is that they're failed artists and they're so neurotic. Always worried about what people think so they can't be good founders. That's for people like ME."

Pffft. Whatever. Thanks for ruining my morning again HN.

[dasil003]

Well at least it comes from a place of actual experience vs your pithy responses. Honestly, feel of a failure is a thing (to use language that won't trigger your elite-o-meter). I don't necessarily agree that this defines the designer "type" but I applaud the self-awareness to consider something like this.

[ulisesrmzroche]

Everyone has fear of failure, that's just normal. My point is that designers are not just art school dropouts, and I certainlyI still don't understand why ya'll keep supporting that position as if had any merit.

[dasil003]

That's an uncharitable way to phrase it though. The point is more like designers are wannabe Picassos who had bigger creative dreams for their work to be based solely on its own merit without any commercial context, but they ended up settling for a day job solving mundane business problems.

It's no different from an engineer getting a safe job at an established company instead of taking the risk to found a company themselves. Only it's a lot riskier for the artist since there's a lot less money in the (working) art world than in the startup world.

[rwhitman]

Exactly. I used fine art as an analogy here but in reality many of the designers I know have creative ambitions more in terms of music, photography, illustration etc. Basically if you're in a creative job chances are you're doing it because you compromised between the desire to create art and the desire to have a paycheck. Sure there's a handful of people out there who longed to be a designer from childhood rather than adopting it out of practicality, but I'd say they're in the minority

[talmand]

I have a degree in design, I didn't learn such things in school. I've worked numerous jobs in design-related positions for around twenty years now. I've worked with countless people (I won't go so far to say they're "brilliant" because that's a hugely subjective thing) in similar positions or involved in my projects. I, nor anyone I've ever worked with, have had the attitude you are expressing when it comes to design.

You are seriously projecting, the world is bigger than your circle of friends.