When did the UK graphic design scene become so gender biased? Was it a gradual thing? How did we miss this? Which leads onto my next question… Why are male graphic designers so damn competitive about every little thing? Where are the designers that value harmony, balance and level-headedness. The ones that don’t need to be constantly self promoting because they don’t shout about everything they do, they just do it… and it works. I’m guessing they’re still around. They’re just being shouted down by the current‘boyworld’ of obnoxious geek designers, happier running work down than celebrating anything of any real significance.

I’ve started off a bit ranty here I know but seriously, how is this current rash of brash, negative, ‘boy racer’ types helping an industry that, you have to admit, needs all the help it can get at the moment, as it makes the traditional from relying on mostly print based work to tackling all manner of new, mostly digital, media.

Over the past 12 months we’ve seen more ‘networks’ of designers and developers forming. As well as a renewed clamour to dissect and crit the business of graphic design slowly growing in volume. Is it just that were been constantly told there are less jobs out there so, boys being the way they are, have grouped together, at the same time switching to competitive mode, in an attempt to starve off whatever circumstance lies ahead? Or is this a sign of the rise of the designer developer, coming from an industry that was moulded, it’s fair to say, mostly by men, who are now finding a new voice in the elder industry of graphic design that they haven’t expected to have before.

Whatever the reason, the need for fellow designers to squabble and generate negative comments, tweets or whatever on the subject of graphic design does the industry, and all those that reside in it, a dis-service. Our industry, like most other modern, media-based industries, is shrinking. It has happened to publishing, to music, to cinema and it’s now happening to graphic design. To stem the tide of clients turning away from using traditional graphic designers, to welcoming the idea of being ‘undesigned’, we need to provide a united front. We need to support creative endeavours of merit, not just the ones that a handful of our mates happen to have come up with in their ‘spare time’.

There is a danger that designers will only end up discussing design with other designers. That graphic design will become a niche thing for wannabe artisans. We are already loosing our relevance, and therefore influence, in the eyes of many potential clients so how about we all start pulling our heads out of our arses and celebrating the fact that we are all fortunate enough to work in one of the most amazing industries around. An industry that, when successful, touches the lives of everyone, not just other designers, and stop the ugly bickering, one-ups-man-ship and infighting.

Graphic design deserves better than that and you know it.