Style Points
When you think of Matisse or Van Gogh, their art works and distinct styles of brush strokes, collage, and use of color are quite vivid. Of course, Picasso didn’t start out looking like the Picasso we think of today. Each artist can take years, a lifetime, to incessantly refine and iterate their work.
On a similar spectrum, Zaha Hadid’s design style is very poignant. Like Frank Gehry, you can see the shape and undulations of the architecture and instantly recognize the maestro behind the design.
Compared to design firms like Ideo or O+A, their ingenuity of product and spatial design do not fall into a specific visual category. Instead, their creative process is the unique identifier. Each output is customized to represent their clients, although the caliber of the work is surely indicative of their commitment to excellence. The high level of execution, of simplicity and authenticity, is remarkable for each firm, but it’s fluid and molds to individual client and project needs.
When do you choose to follow your own style, or to represent your customer? Does your work honor yourself, or does it serve your stakeholders?
How can you achieve both?
