I’d like to think I found my calling: to design branded interfaces that inspire users through innovation and delight. But, it hasn’t always been like that. In my previous life, I was a musician. And by previous life, I mean a few years ago. And by musician, I don’t mean “someone who plays music,” rather “someone who wanted to change the world through music.”

Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does.—David Carson

I fell in love with music because it is primordially about communication. Through music, I found a (literal) stage to have conversations with audiences about our opinions. I discovered the power of branding, marketing, target audiences, advertising, tone of voice, and much, much more.

It all started in 9th grade, when I decided to trade my Playstation 2 for a bass. My brother (who is also a designer) always had a knack for singing, song-writing, and guitar-playing. He needed a bassist for his show that was only 3 weeks away at the time. So, I took it upon myself to learn the repertoire and perform with his band. His band later became *our *band, and throughout the years it metamorphosed into A Limine, Triptico, and Los Hijos de Ismael. Along the way, I also played in a funk-jazz band, a reggae band, and even a pop-metal band.

More often than not, I practice the same principles I learned in music in my design work. Just like I grab lessons from my failures in music and apply them to design.

So, I figured I’d take a moment to talk about them.

Practice restraint

A great bass line is one that doesn’t stand out. Instead, it molds with the song and enhances it without stealing the spotlight. It’s performance with intent, no different than design.

“Good design is as little design as possible.”—Dieter Rams

Designers are often worried about standing out. Make it pop! Those designs are usually forgotten along with the trends they follow.

Instead, a much better design is one that works in harmony with a product’s ethos —a design backed up by an opinion about how the world should be.

Surprise and delight

Not unlike design, music is about creating patterns and managing expectations. Then, flipping those established patterns on their head to delight audiences with unexpected results.

There’s a certain joy in anticipating the chorus to your favorite top 40 song, and then being reassured in one’s anticipation as the bridge goes into the chorus without fault every time. However, the real magic happens when a song can surprise and delight, building upon the paradigms that we’ve grown to love.

Don’t ignore the target audience

Some musicians believe that they make music for themselves, and if people decide to listen to it and happen to like it, then great. Though that sounds like a very noble approach to music, I believe that those musicians are missing the point.

Music is meant to be shared. It’s a conversation with an audience —a conversation that is equally as important as the message that ignites it. In my opinion, writing a song without considering the listener is very similar to designing a website without considering the user.

“People ignore design that ignores people.”—Frank Chimero

Let’s be clear, this does not mean that everyone must like your song. But their reaction is important, it’s part of the intent, whatever that reaction may be.

Design is just one piece of the puzzle

Playing bass in a band is a constant conversation with the drummer’s kick drum pattern and the guitar player’s chord progression. The bass merges percussion with melody to support the rest of the instruments, providing a safety net for the rest of the band to experiment on.

A band, much like a start-up, is just a group of individuals getting together with a specific goal in mind guided by an ideal of the future. There are struggles, financial crises, and above all, an overwhelming feeling that we’re in this together.

Branding is everything

I fell in love with branding through music, sketching countless band logos in the back of my notebooks while ignoring the teacher in class. That religious affection to brands comes from a carefully crafted tone of voice present in most of our favorite bands.

With pixels and notes, designers and musicians respectively create brands that have the power to shape generations. The Beatles had their haircut, and designers have their…gradients? Well, you get the idea.

Think outside the box

One of my favorite bassists mentions handing his bass to a fisherman and watching what he does with it. He is able to find inspiration from observing the fisherman hold the bass upside down and bang the strings incorrectly, creating only noise and chaos.

What happens when we take what we think is “right” and look at it from a different perspective? It allows the opportunity to err in unexpected ways and, in doing so, find new ways to innovate.

“You are never more than a half step away from the right note.”—Victor Wooten

My background in music informs my work every day. I’m curious, **how does your background inform your work?**