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Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

nathanbarry.com

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Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#21

Post by nathanbarry »

bicknergseng wrote: post #7
rollypolly wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that point was completely lost on the OP. As far as lack of taste is concerned, people need to be more self critical and understand their limits. I'm a good engineer, but not so great designer, so it's a lot more cost effective for me to find a good designer to work with.

I agree and might go so far as to say the transitions were in good taste. "Taste" seems to me like a fairly generic word that can be easily misused. To me, taste implies consistency with tradition as well as good design, etc., but the OP seems to think that taste is directly synonymous with good design. If he really wanted to use an example of bad taste from the new Star Wars movies, it seems like everything Jar Jar…

True, but that would be talking about script and character development rather than design.

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#22

Post by beloch »

Taste doesn't matter if you lack skill and knowledge.

The linked post is a fine example of a tasteful message falling completely flat because it was argued without skill or sufficient knowledge. i.e. It was pretty much undone by the use of a stupendously and hilariously wrong example: Lucas' love for (and homage to) Hollywood-serial era transitions.

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#23

Post by bcjordan »

Reminds me of Ira Glass on taste and work:

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take awhile. It's normal to take awhile. You've just gotta fight your way through."

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#24

Post by novalis »

psylence519 wrote: post #2

"If you watch the newer Star Wars movies pay attention to the transitions near the end. When they are switching between each of the battle scenes they use Powerpoint style transitions. Dissolve, blinds, swipe. It’s an amateur effect in a movie that is otherwise very technically difficult and visually impressive. The skill is there, but taste is lacking." I'm sure the use of dissolves and wipes in the newer Star Wars…

That sort of cluelessness from the author of the post and the craptastic generic looking site it was on, really helped determining the importance of the article.

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#27

Post by klaut »

bcjordan wrote: post #23

Reminds me of Ira Glass on taste and work: "Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your tas…

I love this quote. Everytime i read it, it reminds me that it is fine if i feel that i am producing crap. I just need to keep on working at it and eventually i'll do fine

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#28

Post by bicknergseng »

ionforce wrote: post #17
bicknergseng wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and might go so far as to say the transitions were in good taste. "Taste" seems to me like a fairly generic word that can be easily misused. To me, taste implies consistency with tradition as well as good design, etc., but the OP seems to think that taste is directly synonymous with good design. If he really wanted to use an example of bad taste from the new Star Wars movies, it seems like everything Jar Jar…

How do you feel taste is different from good design?

For what I just mentioned. Taste encompasses more than just design. Wikipedia actually describes it pretty well in my opinion: "Taste as an aesthetic, sociological, economic and anthropological concept refers to a cultural patterns of choice and preference." I would say design only really addresses aesthetic. Tomato tomahto maybe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_(sociology)

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#29

Post by vectorpush »

Taste is subjective and fleeting. The once lauded tastes of the 90s are now regarded as oh so dreadfully pedestrian by enlightened contemporary minds.

The crux of taste is rooted in celebrity worship and group think. Taste is a roll of the die and a hope that your vision resonates with those around you. It's no coincidence that every great artist is eventually regarded as jumping the shark; their tastes evolve or remain static, but time tends to displace the alignment between one's taste and the world around them (hence the need to "stay on top" of the latest trends).

Taste is almost negligible.

Re: Skill Doesn’t Matter If You Lack Taste

#30

Post by bicknergseng »

nathanbarry wrote: post #21
bicknergseng wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and might go so far as to say the transitions were in good taste. "Taste" seems to me like a fairly generic word that can be easily misused. To me, taste implies consistency with tradition as well as good design, etc., but the OP seems to think that taste is directly synonymous with good design. If he really wanted to use an example of bad taste from the new Star Wars movies, it seems like everything Jar Jar…

True, but that would be talking about script and character development rather than design.

Ah, but that's our point I think. You mean to talk about design, but taste is not synonymous with design. If you mean to say that the SW screen wipes are terrible design even if they're properly implemented, I think you'd have less people squawking. But you said they were bad taste, which is subjectively incorrect because they are in keeping with the older films.
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