The other day my friend mention she was a big fan of lawyers. Her reasoning is that their primary goal is to protect their client and they accomplish this by drilling down really deep on a single subject. The drilling down deep comment made me think of graphic design. I like to find ways of understanding design in and through different contexts. There are at least a few common ideas that connect design practice and law practice. Some quick observations that relate to both professions:
- They both explore all contingencies to ensure there are no surprises and the clients’ interests are looked after.
- As stated previously, they drill deep.
- They are interested in precedence and how that can be leveraged.
- Provide a service that can be undervalued
- The bigger the business the more likely you are to hire them
- Their services are needed intermittently, but at crucial junctures.
- You don’t look forward to spending the money, but it is worth it and more.
- Alternate business models are appearing that commoditize their services, offering al a carte products that undermine the traditional practices of the professions and circumvent the practitioner.
- They are beloved and never mocked, misunderstood or the butt of jokes.