In my business (advertising), ask an entry level artist if he/she knows the difference between a designer or an art director. Over a period of 35 years in the business, I've asked that question over and over. To a fault all of them replied, "There is no difference". To which I asked them to come back in a year or two with the same reply. Once again, to a fault, when asked the same question a couple of years later, the reply was unanimous -- they could write a book on the differences. The nature of fine design is a very subtile practice, to say the least.
How can you expect a non practitioner of the discipline of design to do any thing other than that which the entry level wannabees would do?
To Jobs credit (and sense of aesthitics) he outsourced most of his key ID projects. And, very key, is the reality, that when asked, a staff (company employee) designer would be the first to say that he/she could come up with a solution as good as, if not better, than the iPod.
That, in my years of experience is the nature of the beast and the sooner Eli (or whoever is responsible for that aspect of product development) comes to that realization, the better. |
