The cult of easy design and the consumer

Instagram, for all descriptive purposes, is awesome.  I use it and am very methodical about the picture process.  From the filter to the blur and all the way back to the border I am meticulous.  Nobody in their right mind would conclude that it’s terrible and its eleventy bajillion app users are mistaken.

From a design perspective, it’s just a toy.  The options are severely limited and it would never hold a candle to the customization and alteration options provided by the creative suite.

With that said, despite the various, yet finite, number of image types you can create with the app, any user can recognize an Instagram picture.

I was calmly strolling to the Apple store (this is a lie, I usually skip happily to the Apple store) and came across an advertisement roughly 10’x20′ in size.  Although it wasn’t square, the not quite arbitrary roughness of the edges, the pseudo vintage sepia coloring, and unnatural use of blur and focal points made the inspiration of the ad very easy to pin point.  Had I a full battery when walking towards this beast, you would be checking out a snapshot by now.

What didn’t occur to me until later was how awful the image actually was.  I was hung up on the process and not the the picture. At 2″x2″, the niche of highly filtered images are kind of cool. I dig the disposable and instant gratification of an Instagram.  At wall size, this image looked like it was created by first time PhotoShop user trying to use EVERY filter.

Design, at any size, needs to be well thought out.  All parameters and aspects of the final need to be planned for.  Mock ups need to be made. Mock ups need to be torn up.  Drawing boards need to be erased time and time again.

I can only speculate on how the art direction for the image went down but my speculation is probably not far off.  Don’t copy trends for the purpose of engaging with a core audience but if you need to, please plan accordingly. A minivan sized section of blurred denim is a waste of real estate.