Too Many "Artists" in the Studio

No matter what product is being developed, whether it's a book, video game or website, design will always be part of it. Product development teams usually consist of artists, technical people, editorial, marketing, sales and business people, but everyone wants a piece of the design. Depending on the company, the artist (the one person qualified to do design work) is usually overruled by salespeople who don't know jack about art. That's why we see a lot of hideous looking products out there. Design is an important factor because it's the first thing a customer sees. Everyone is buying Apple's iPod and iPhone for the look. Many other manufacturers have products that are much cheaper with more features, but Apple put a lot of thought into their design and took over the MP3 market almost immediately. Website designs have a psychological effect on its users. Certain colors, shapes and layouts can suggest users to read, click and interact. However, sales wants to riddle the page with ads because ads make money. They're not thinking about how poor placement can drive users away from the site. In order for products to be successful, companies need to trust design work to their artists. Salespeople should just stick to selling and tech people should stick to working on the functions.