"You photograph with all your ideology"
- Sebastião Salgado

Do you truly believe that design can be neutral? That it's possible to create something entirely devoid of personal beliefs and emotions? Many creators try to convince us that in their work, only strategy, the brief, and user needs matter - that objectivity is the key to a good design. This is a fiction. Every designer designs with themselves - with their experiences, values, and ego. And the sooner we understand this, the better it will be for the quality of our designs.

It irritates me how many designers stubbornly distance themselves from their subjective perspective, placing an objective, strategic approach on a pedestal. I don't believe in it. Certainly not in a complete detachment from one's own perception. Design never has been and is not neutral.

At first glance, it may seem that design is a matter of aesthetics, visual balance, composition, or usability. In reality, however, every project is an ideological manifesto - conscious or subconscious.

Sebastião Salgado's thought that "You photograph with all your ideology" can be applied to any creative field, including design. This is not just about ideology in a social or political sense, but about who you are as a person. Regardless of how hard you try to be objective, your projects will always be imbued with what defines you - your experiences, values, emotions, and even your ego. Because you design with who you are.

Many designers claim that their work is based on objectivity, that design is a response to clearly defined user needs. Well, that's a convenient sta nce. In the world of commercial design, it's easy to hide behind strategy and a brief to cover up one's own preferences. It's a form of defense - a way to justify design decisions as logical and resulting from data, rather than personal emotions. But the truth is, you can't escape your own ego. It always guides your choices, deciding what you consider "beautiful," "functional," or "good."

Modernism, which began to function strongly in the first half of the 20th century, is a great example of this kind of illusion of objectivity. Walter Gropius tried to create an aesthetic devoid of personal expression, based on function and technology. The slogan "form follows function" became a mantra, but critics even then noticed that even this "objective" approach was an ideological choice. By placing functionality above aesthetics, they expressed their worldview.

Every design decision, whether it concerns accessibility or the choice of cultural codes, is a manifestation of the designer's ideology. Consciously or unconsciously, the designer decides who has the right to use their work. Every choice, conscious or unconscious, shows who you consider the target audience. The conscious use of cultural codes can not only exclude but also build a sense of elitism.

Our creative memory is another tool that the designer takes to work. Every project you complete is an echo of previous ones - successes, failures, experiences. What was influences your future choices, even if you try hard to hide your ego under the guise of objectivity. Paradoxically, these attempts are often the most subjective actions.

So we can safely say - design is an ideological act. There is no escape from it. No matter how hard you try to deny it, your projects will always be a reflection of you. Applied art and design are a constant search for the ideal form, but always in a specific, including personal, context.

And you know what? That's a good thing. It's precisely your personal perspective, not the illusion of objectivity, that gives designs their strength, character, and power of message. Our ego, although sometimes demonized, is a key part of the creative process. In design, just like in photography, you can't escape yourself. So let's stop pretending.