Joshua Porter seems to think we are entering a golden age for designers where companies are differentiating themselves through design. He writes:
I talked with many people who were building startups and their top priority was getting great designers on board. But they didn’t just want good designers. They wanted designer co-founders, people who could help them from day 1 and be invested in the company.
This makes sense. In a sea of competition…the survivors will be the ones who can communicate most clearly and provide value most quickly. And who specializes in those things more than designers?
He bases this opinion on experiences in the Bay Area among web startups. Admittedly the ‘Valley’ has a somewhat distorted perspective of the world, but they are also an indicator of things to come.
It is certainly true that design is being taken more seriously by many organisations. However, I am not sure we are quite in a ‘golden age’ yet, at least not outside of the Valley bubble.
This is one predication I very much hope comes true. Not just because I come from a design background, but also because I think good design benefits users and business owners alike. As Joshua says ” In a sea of competition…the survivors will be the ones who can communicate most clearly and provide value most quickly.” Design is the way modern products (and websites) differentiate themselves.
