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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8215963" data-attributes="member: 71699">That feels more like a "Yes, and...". First to review a few limits. In no particular order, I am thinking of -<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">medium or format - a working designer rarely gets to choose this, and each medium offers its own limits</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">subject - a working designer occasionally gets to choose this, but not always, and it offers limits</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">treatment or framing context - although this is vaguely defined, there are generally limits on the treatments that a working designer can choose, and the chosen treatment offers limits</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">tools and other resources - a working designer always has some limit to their resources; especially because of the aim of extracting a return on investment, but even when a return isn't sought, no human has unlimited resources and no human today has access to technologies that might only come to exist in future</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">knowledge and skill of the designer - as humans, always limited; while a working designer shapes their skills, they are also shaped by what their company values, and in any case design craft is so deep that no one masters every part of it</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">culture and philosophy - there are broader limits to thinking, so that one sees marked (and welcome!) differences in the work of designers depending on their culture and philosophies; but also human patterns of thought are limited</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">audience - working designers are making things for an audience, and who that audience is imposes limits (language, age suitability, subjects of interest, forbidden subjects, etc)</li> </ul>So if a designer is working for Nintendo, they'll very likely be limited to Nintendo formats, and Nintendo disallow some treatments of their subjects. I did not mean "the only question" literally, but rather to as a figure of speech when framing a tension. As you say, another significant question is how well the designer adapts to the limits. I don't think any designer has unlimited freedom - no human has unlimited freedom - and I think they perforce opt into limits based upon their choice of medium, subject, etc.What I've experienced very consistently is that limits - if adapted to - are typically inspiring. Design teams more quickly come to excellent outcomes when they can embrace limits, and even adopt limits for themselves (especially when such choices resonate with their audiences). Comprehending and choosing limits is an important tool in good design. Companies always impose some limits on their design teams.</blockquote>

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