Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them. Anything worth manifesting and creating inherently comes with it all the obstacles needed for its conception.
Everything that is built in our world has been designed. It’s this design process that is mysterious and misunderstood–a process often grouped in with the fine arts. Although there is an art aspect to what designers do, there is an intense discipline to doing things right. We design for an audience of thousands, not for an audience of one (which is one of the inherent differences between design and art).
We see the results of great design but keep in mind the hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours visualizing, concepting, and prototyping before we actually start testing and production. From something as simple as a poster or a business card, the choices of composition, color, fonts, substrates, etc… had to be researched and decided upon if it had to be done right.
Keep in mind the sacrifices that were made for a simple smile on our client’s faces. The simple glories we take away from a project are private and lonely. So next time you experience a design you like, make sure to thank a designer (if not in person, in your thoughts).