Steven Heller was the art director of NY Times for 33 years and currently writes the visual column in the NY Times Book Review. He is a giant in the design industry and has practiced for many years.
This chapter lays out the advantages of writing out and structuring ideas during the preliminary stages of a design project. Heller discusses how the a fundamental aspect of design was communication. He advocates that the designer has to have a firm grasp on the idea in order to communicate it well. Writing is a great tool for this as it makes your ideas tangible and workable. I’m really interested in his statements on this subject in the beginning of the chapter. He says, “Even if visual literacy is your forte, verbal literacy – and that means the transcription of thoughts and ideas through words – is essential to being a designer.” After this comment Heller talks about voice. I’m really interested in this section as it relates to messaging in design. I want to connect this to design in politics and how agencies have designed depending on the clients political beliefs.
“Writing, Thoughts on a Paper or Screen.” Writing and Research for Graphic Designers:
a Designer’s Manual to Strategic Communication and Presentation, by Steven
Heller, Rockport Publishers, 2015, pp. 31–41.
