Negotiating information overload
The internet is a huge, fascinating, unwieldy and marvellous thing. With the touch of a button we can access endless volumes of information and inspiration that our fore bearers could only dream of. But like all good things, there is a point when this abundance becomes too much and far from making us more productive and informed, it catches us in its sticky web of facts and fascination and hours disappear down the gurgler.
How do we harness this behemoth of knowledge and not get sucked into its mesmerising vortex? Initially we have to recognise if we’re looking for anything or just browsing. Distracting yourself? Looking for inspiration? Trying to avoid work? Meandering around without any direction you can easily lose hours without retaining anything to show for your time. This is especially destructive when you’re self-employed and those hours the internet sucks up are hours you’re losing potential income. Instead of aimless wandering, set yourself a time limit before you have to get back to task. If you find great links, wonderful – bookmark them and come back when you have time to peruse the information. Netvibes is a useful, multi-faceted and visual on-line bookmarking tool that allows you to store your ‘finds’ to return to when appropriate. Organise your links into categories – identity, packaging, typography, history, illustration, etc. and when you need a dose of inspiration you don’t need to waste time trawling the web.
Anyone who’s had a fair wander around the design blogs will also recognise that a good deal of the information is recycled, repackaged and spun for fresh consumption (20 Free High Quality Fonts! 30 Great Business Card Designs!). Focus instead on the publications and blogs that generate their content rather than regurgitate it, settle on a few favourites and leave it at that. Twitter can be an effective means of efficiently gleaning current information that’s circulating in the community. Follow a few of the better publications or blogs relevant to your industry (Design Observer, Print magazine, Creative Review, ProDesign) and you’ll get palatable bite-sized information that you can choose to pursue or not without initially expending much time.
The allure of trying to consume all this available information is deceptive and counterproductive. Just because the information is there doesn’t mean that it all deserves to be read or that it will make you a better/more effective designer, no matter what the blog title claims. Now stop wasting your own time and get back to work.
March 21
2012
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