POSTED BY: Rita Gomes

Designer OCD

5th Sep, 2018
designer ocd neworld blog

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Designer OCD because I noticed all the designers I know have their own ‘obsessions’. So I Googled it and the quote ‘I just have to have my layouts neat and tidy or I go crazy!’ comes up, as well as a lot of pictures that I surely can relate to and others that made me itch:

It’s not exactly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but more like Obsessive Compulsive Designer – an obsession with perfection and the general order or state of things. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see it as something malicious by any means. It does play into the stereotype of what OCD is – designers need to have everything perfect, but we don’t have the urge to repeat things or have rituals, like introducing the image 5 times.

Designers are creators with the responsibility to not only solve problems but also make a difference, influence and help people the best way they can. I guess this creates an obsession for perfection that bleeds into our personal life as well. Like the inability to see anything out of place, out of the “pattern”, crooked things like pictures and shelves on the wall, wardrobe colour coordinated, etc.

These are the consequences of the trained vision and mind of a designer, which some manifest more than others. Life is incredibly complex, as is the job of a graphic designer. We just have to find the balance and not obsess so much!

 

RITA GOMES – GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Rita, newbie to the team, came all the way from Portugal to spice things up. Always with her mini cup of espresso in her hand and selling her country as the best in the world. She’s curious and adventurous, always striving to learn, absorb what the world has to offer and input it into her work.