Read the original interview at L'Econòmic (in catalan) / Download pdf
The following is a translation of Anna Pinter's interview with Jesús del Hoyo, Dean of the Col-legi de Disseny Gràfic de Catalunya published in the newspaper L'econòmic, 20/04/13.
"We have not been able to explain to the company that design is not frivolity".
Barcelona and Catalonia have a long history in design, but from the school you denounce that it is still too closely associated with plastic design.
That's right, for eight years now, since the school was created, we've been working to make people understand that the paradigm has changed, that the designer is not the artist or the poster designer of the last century. We cannot continue with a *decimonic image of design. When we open the computer, there is graphic design in the interface, there is also graphic design in a box of biscuits, it is a transversal activity.
he design is broad, it is not a repetitive and cloned model, nor is it centred on designers. Design cannot be built from designers but from design. What is still to be built is the fabric of design.
Why has it not been possible to build this fabric of which you speak?
Becausethe place where design begins to work, in society, in industry, in SMEs, etc., has not understood that design is much more than frivolity, plasticity or bohemianism. It is clear that we have not explained it well, and they have not understood that it is an attitude of professional practice, but it is not the majority or the most profitable. Design is a transversal and necessary activity in society. Design is a structural part of any project, but unfortunately we are still at the stage where design is only sought to make a project beautiful when it is already finished.
Hence the difference compared to Europe?
Yes, this is what makes us different from our European neighbours. In Germany, any company, no matter how small, hires a designer to develop its product, and this has led to a very high level of medium-sized companies. And that's how it works, the medium-sized company has an ally in design. Here we only have three or four stars. If we have an immense mediocrity and a small elite, it is of little use to society.
Who is responsible for this disconnection between design and business in Catalonia?
Onthe one hand, the model of training in design that still *orbits too much in the plastic aspect. On the other hand, an *empresariat that only sees the designer as an artist who has no place in the business production process. Thirdly, it is also the responsibility of the administration that has used public money only to promote brands that are empty of content, such as Diseño Barcelona, which is presented as a question of playfulness. Furthermore, the different levels of design training are not being coordinated and this has ended up generating a great deal of intrusiveness and a lack of specialisation. It has not been well structured and this is the responsibility of the administration. And it is frustrating because in Barcelona there is the second oldest design school in the world (1775), and we are left with the feeling that we have the figure but not the embers.
And what responsibility do graphic designers have?
We havenotbeen able to convey the message of the value of the designer and when the crisis hit we have become a quickly dispensable professional. The good news is that after two and a half years many designers have opted to go for profit with companies, and when they get results they get paid for their work.
Perhaps this process will help to bring graphic design and business closer together?
Ithink so, it will make us understand that we are in the same boat and that without commissions there is no design. The administration also has a decisive role to play in making this happen.
In what way?
Unfortunatelythe administration is allocating public money to give visibility to graphic design with very festive and frivolous profiles. Still heirs of the Olympics and "do you design or do you work? Be warned, because they are public money. And design is not taken into account as an economic structure with the capacity to incentivise local and proximity products that would help to dynamise SMEs.
This lack of consideration of design as a transversal activity that you are dragging along is compounded by the crisis. What effects has it had on the profession?
We estimate that around 60% of the sector is closing its doors, but moreover, more than 90% of the young people leaving graphic design studies go directly to unemployment. Self-employment is very common in the sector, but it is so precarious that it becomes more of a hobby than anything else, and this does not build a future for these people. Design is in ruins. And these ruins have been systematically built up because there has been no courage to address the problems of the sector.
What actions, then, do you think need to be taken?
Weneed to draw up a real roadmap, analyse what we have and stop living off the fame of Barcelona design. We will have to structure teaching more, clarify the degrees and demand that the professional be a professional. The administration cannot hire people who are not design professionals just to give them opportunities. Frivolous competitions must come to an end, and I insist that professionalism must be demanded. Furthermore, serious steps must be taken and the administration must promote companies of designers, which is what would generate a network and would have a greater return to society.
What is the most common profile of graphic designers in Catalonia at the moment?
They areusuallystudios of one or two designers at most. They are micro-company structures that have more of a workshop mentality than a company mentality. In Europe more than 70% of graphic designers work for companies as salaried employees, here it's the other way round, 80% are freelancers who work for companies.
The positive side is that you have weak but more flexible structures.
Yes, that's right, and also with the crisis, networking is becoming more and more important, which makes us quite competitive.
At the school you will find a list of suppliers that deserve to be classified as trustworthy companies. Why this service?
It isa reaction to generate alliances and work through agreements of trust, of services to the designer and design with the client. We want to overcome fear.