Uncle Bill, this is what I do

Many years ago, my dear, now-departed, Uncle Bill was visiting and, knowing I was “artsy” (his word, not mine), asked to see some of my work. I proudly showed him a book hot off the press and an issue of a monthly magazine I design. 

“What did you do?” he asked. 

“I designed them. I design magazines, books, posters, brochures—whatever comes into the studio.”

“But what did you do? Did you do this illustration?” pointing at one in the magazine.

“No. I assigned it and worked with the illustrator on the concept.”

“Did you take any of the photos?”

“No. I assign jobs to photographers or use what the editors send or figure out what stock photos to use.”
“And you didn’t do any of the writing.”
“No.”
“So you didn’t actually do anything.”
“Well, I designed the overall look. I take all the text and pictures and figure out how to turn them into something that looks good, that someone will want to pick up and read.”
“But you didn’t do the drawings, the photos aren’t yours, you didn’t write it. You don’t actually create anything.”

Wow. Talk about deflating. I wrestled with whether Uncle Bill was right. I’m a pretty decent photographer and draw hubby Ted’s and my annual holiday card, but in my professional work I rarely provide the ingredients for my projects. In the magazine, I get a 6.3-point line of type on the masthead: “Art Director: Sharri Harris Wolfgang.” In contrast, a byline is on every story, a credit line is on every photo—even the ones that are only usable after some judicious cropping or discreet Photoshopping. 

I’ve come to terms with not doing the doing, knowing that bringing together the various pieces into an attractive, unified whole is an art unto itself. Think of all the photos and illustrations that go unseen and all the words that go unread because the presentation is dull, clunky, ugly and/or illegible. It’s not unlike cooking—individually, many of the ingredients taste good. How they are brought together, though, is what turns them into a dish that’s inedible, okay, or really delicious.

Thankfully, magazine editors seem to appreciate how useful we designers are, that we are an integral part in creating a successful product that people will want to read—even people like Uncle Bill who don’t realize they wouldn’t bother if it didn’t look so good. —Sharri Wolfgang

p.s. Coincidentally, an editor friend emailed as I started to write this. She recalled when I told her of this exchange with my uncle, and thought I’d appreciate this photo from her Facebook feed. Perfect timing!