Art & Marketing: Time’s Design 100

In many ways, the world of design is the constant propulsion of marketing tools, dolled up and disguised as gorgeous little moments that make us stop and look. Design elements are everywhere: architecture, branding, the internet, textiles, and electronics are all constantly on display.

While I was surprised recently to read Blankenship express dismay at the existence of the advertising industry, I understand his position. Anyone who has ever done even the most remedial of design work for a client or tried to reach a certain audience with his or her talent has experienced the frustrating impasse that is the eventual divide between art and marketing. That being said, as a business and marketing student I’ve come to appreciate the world of art and marketing. There’s a wealth of resources and galleries for ad voyeurs, some of my favorites are AdverBox, Houtlust and Ad Goodness.

While I’d never want to be in a position where my work was passed around and manipulated and toyed with using terms like ‘target market’, I imagine the goal for designers that work in the advertising and marketing business strive to be the Marc Newson or Jonathan Ive, to be working on some level that goes beyond question when it comes to results or essentials.

In any event, Time Magazine has compiled its Design 100, a glimpse into some of the best works between designers, architects and yes, advertisers currently. Browse sections on gear, green products, talent and more.

Incidentally, I hadn’t noticed how pretty Time Magazine’s website is until just now.

I guess I just don’t get all this hostility towards advertising from people who’ve chosen it as a career path. Graphic design and art may be cousins, but they’re not the same thing — and to be angry and bitter about being forced to compromise the purity of one’s artistic ideals in order to achieve a strategic end is to largely miss the point. Yeah, it sucks to have to try to guide a really cool idea through a minefield of dolts and dullards (e.g. the majority of clients and agency salesfolk), but when you actually succeed and get something cool into print or online or onto packaging or onto the airwaves or whatever… I mean, is there really a cooler way to earn a paycheck? Probably, but compared to what most people have to go through, it’s not too shabby.