Just in case you're wondering...
If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that my logo says "parkerparker :: design | photography". Just what does the "design" part stand for?
Well, for starters, my degree is in Visual Communication. That covers a lot of ground, including a background in advertising, graphic design, interactive work and a whole slew of inter-related disciplines. I've been called a Renaissance Man, back in the day, when I was teaching thirty art directors how to use the Mac.
But what makes design important to me, is how it affects our everyday lives. It surrounds us, from the clothes we wear, to the commercials on television (that is if you don't TiVo them out), to our furniture, our cars, and yes, our art. Good design makes us feel good. Good design makes things work better. And if that sounds a bit like design evangelism, well, it is. I think we all should have well-designed things in our lives. That includes beautiful art, but it also includes well-designed Web sites and marketing communication. And it definitely includes well-designed images that we admire and aspire to.