I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I'm glad Elliot is the one bringing it up. Back in 2007 when I first got started on the web, I remember being really excited about seeing new work released from my favorite designers.
Elliot was hands down one of my favorites for his use of type and textures. I even recall sitting up late one night (4 or 5 am since he lives in England) to see his personal site get a revamp.
Nowadays, I pay little attention, seemingly because of things like Dribbble. This excessive desire to share removes any anticipation from the work and in essence, makes it less exciting to see. I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way.
Speaking for my own work, it's just not as fun to spend time crafting a really cool design when you know that it will be seen and tossed aside in a few days. I'd argue this is mostly subconscious, but I do find it belittling my work before it even finds a solid focus.
One thought on this struck me not too long ago while reading The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracián:
“Never show half-finished things to others. Let them be enjoyed in their perfection. All beginnings are formless, and what lingers is the image of that deformity. The memory of having seen something imperfect spoils our enjoyment when it is finished. To take in a large object at a single glance keeps us from appreciating the parts, but it satisfies our taste. Before it is, everything it is not, and when it begins to be, it is still very close to nonbeing. It is revolting to watch even the most succulent dish being cooked. Great teachers are careful not to let their works be seen in embryo. Learn from nature, and don’t show them until they look good.”
Sharing is great, but I think it's become more of an addiction to feed than a process for improving the craft at large.
It's funny how that quote encourages perfectionism and, if applied to development, would discourage anyone from creating a minimally viable product (MVP).
It won't be popular, but I'd argue that the MVP school of thought is responsible for a lot of junk being introduced into the world (when it didn't need to be). Inevitably, when given a route that appears easy or is misinterpreted as such, people will cut corners and act as thought they've "done the work."
I'd say all of this plays into a bigger whole, but that the majority lies in the favor of junk/homogeneity is no mistake.
Elliot was hands down one of my favorites for his use of type and textures. I even recall sitting up late one night (4 or 5 am since he lives in England) to see his personal site get a revamp.
Nowadays, I pay little attention, seemingly because of things like Dribbble. This excessive desire to share removes any anticipation from the work and in essence, makes it less exciting to see. I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way.
Speaking for my own work, it's just not as fun to spend time crafting a really cool design when you know that it will be seen and tossed aside in a few days. I'd argue this is mostly subconscious, but I do find it belittling my work before it even finds a solid focus.
One thought on this struck me not too long ago while reading The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracián:
“Never show half-finished things to others. Let them be enjoyed in their perfection. All beginnings are formless, and what lingers is the image of that deformity. The memory of having seen something imperfect spoils our enjoyment when it is finished. To take in a large object at a single glance keeps us from appreciating the parts, but it satisfies our taste. Before it is, everything it is not, and when it begins to be, it is still very close to nonbeing. It is revolting to watch even the most succulent dish being cooked. Great teachers are careful not to let their works be seen in embryo. Learn from nature, and don’t show them until they look good.”
Sharing is great, but I think it's become more of an addiction to feed than a process for improving the craft at large.