Battle Of Genders. Male Designers VS Female: Who Is Better To Work With?

Our world is filled with contrasts. Good and evil, black and white, happiness and sadness. Everything is connected, combined and blended: this is the way true balance appears but the absolute harmony is only reflected in relationships between men and women.

John Gray, a famous American philosopher and relationship counselor, wrote a book with a sounding title that has been recently much talked about: “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus”. If you read this book carefully, you’ll understand one global truth: men and women in general are different in similar ways. Yet, can the same refer to designers? Does their work differ not only by various styles and abilities of their imagination, but also by their gender?

Male designers are from Mars

Men are hunters. In prehistoric times, they had to bring their prey to a tribe in order for it to survive. The stereotype suggests that men should earn money and be strong for their families’ sake. Male designers reflect all these matters: designs, created by men, are powerful and capable of earning money for their owners.

Male designers are from Mars. They are warriors and are aimed at making their designs not simply competing but winning, which is why graphic design was considered to be a men’s world. Mars is a cold planet, which impacts men being reserved and confident in everything they do. They are more likely to take up web, animation and game design and turn it into an award winning business. The thing that men were more successful in the world of design was caused by the fact that most of their clients (who were also men) preferred to work with the same gender. Men are great listeners and are able to accomplish their clients’ creative briefs because they understand them. Male designers combine two dual spheres: except for being responsible and reliable (as, in an ideal world, all the men are), they value patience and determination, the two whales web design stands on.

Among most prominent male web designers, one should definitely name Ethan Marcotte, who came up with the term of a responsive web design, nowadays followed worldwide; Vitaly Friedmann, known for his blog in Smashing Magazine; and Jeffrey Zeldmann, who became a celebrity among designers not only due to his fabulous creative works but also thanks to dozens of books he has published.

Female designers are from Venus

Germans used to have a special slogan for the female role in society which included the rule of 3 Ks (Kinder, Küche, Kirche) and is translated as “children, kitchen, church”. Times have changed, kitchen is no longer a woman’s place. However, this historical fact can easily explain why female designers are able to create their designs in the way chefs prepare their most exquisite gourmet salads. They mix their endless fantasy with their clients’ expectations, spicy up the dish by adding a carefully researched concept of the company’s history and dress everything with a vague human touch and the endless variety of emotions they experience.

Female designers are from Venus, one of the hottest planets in the Solar System, which influences female’s passion and temper. Female designers are extremely creative; women are dreamers, which makes them think in a different, original way. They are great communicators, thus can get to the bottom of things and find out everything they need; they appreciate networking, which makes it much easier to work with them. Female designers are careful in terms of details, as well as they are multi taskers: they do as many things as possible, and they always meet their deadlines. Female designers tend to be influenced by their emotions. They are like inspirational sparkles that enlighten everything around. If in a proper mood, of course.

Due to their unlimited imagination, female designers come up with solutions that strike and amaze everyone around them. The most dazzling female web designers are Kate Bingaman Burt, who is famous for her collaboration with NY Times, Etsy and Microsoft; Melissa Hie, who used to design for Adidas and Heineken; Jan Cavan, whose designs are extremely prominent among celebrities.

They meet on the third planet from the Sun

To sum up, male and female designers are completely different in their attitude towards creative work. Male designers are much more decisive and confident in decisions they make, therefore it’s easier for their clients to resolve all the issues that appear in web designs. As for women, they are rather spontaneous and have a vivid imagination, which is why the designs they create are always mesmerizing. However, sometimes they tend to follow their heart rather than mind, hence it might be hard to convince them.

What about your experience in working with male and female designers? Who, to your mind, is easier and better to work with? Though the difference is rather huge, who do you prefer to work with: those from Mars or those from Venus?