The 'Science' of Good Design: A Dangerous Idea

By Ben McAllister - May 11, 2011

Design, like the world as a whole, is unpredictable and messy. If you think it boils down to "research," you're mistaken.

A job interview can be a pretty dry affair, but a few years ago, I had one that I'll never forget. I was talking to an advertising executive about one of his clients, a major telecommunications company that had recently renamed itself. At the end of the interview, he asked if I had any questions for him. "What do you think about your client's decision to change names?" I asked. It seemed to me that discussing the pros and cons of a decision like this would be one of the more interesting aspects of a job in advertising. But his response didn't inspire much of a dialogue.

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