Honest feedback. That's really important, and only a few real friends can offer that. That's just what I received from a newly formed acquaintance via email.

I've been working on a essay called "Sobjectivity". It's a quick read about the natural disorder or the two sides to the graphic design coin. One side is the artistic expression in which opinion and subjective thoughts lay, and the other is the absolute nature of communication, either a message is received or it isn't (like morse code) which tends to be more objective. Designers usually are more subjective, and clients tend to be more objective. The friction that can ensue is called "Sobjectivity".

I sent this idea around to some friends/ colleagues to get some honest feedback, and boy did I ever! Guy Richards sent me a reply email that really got me thinking. His main point touched on the lack of emphasis on the audience in my analogy. The conversation should be about opinions or facts, but consumer opinions and facts. They are the ones who provide judgment, right? They are the ones who really matter.

Better understanding our audience should be the goal, but how does that happen? One way is consumer research; better understanding behavior, habits, emotions, etc. It is the key to better strategy, executions, and more appropriate opinions in subjective conversations. Guy puts it this way, "The main problem with design without research is that the client believes they are the target and if they like it, it must be right. The challenge it to convince the client that they are not the target and then define who is and what are the motivating buying decisions both emotional and logical that are made before a sale happens."

Thanks for the inspiration and wise words Guy, a big shout out to you my friend!

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