Why Do Designers Use Macs?

This is a forum topic for discussing the article "Why Do Designers Use Macs?":

http://www.elated.com/articles/why-do-designers-use-macs/

Simon muses as to why designers seem to prefer Macs. Is it because Macs are cool, or are designers just simpleminded technophobes at heart?

Simon, this is a fantastic piece! I've often pondered the same question and never really got a satisfying answer... until now!! Thanks.

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Thanks Mauco! I'm still not sure that I've nailed it though.

Do you have any other reasons why you (I assume) use a Mac?

Simon

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Simon, I use Windows, but I have a few friends who are designers and they are very passionate about their Mac!

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Snobbery, for the most part. I agree that there's some packages that you can only get on a Mac, but for the vast majority of designers, I suspect a PC with the right software would do the trick. There can't be that much that you can't get on a PC.

I do hate mendacious little buggers who proudly claim that you can only do what they need to do on a Mac, then when you find that the same software can be had for a corporate standard PC (which is patched and virus-protected and controlled to the requisite company standard needed to control 50,000+ desktops), they start muttering about the feel and the interface. Sod *off*.

From a personal side, Macs are ace and I love them. So I'm not anti-Mac, even in the workplace. But they need to be controlled to the same level as PCs (so you can get your email and to shared drives). Keep up with the high and mighty "I can only possibly do this on an Apple, darling" and I'll fire you and outsource it to a company who's IT arcology I don't have to worry about. And it will be cheaper in the long run, than if I let Mr Jobs in through the side door.

Plus, if I don't get a 24" G4 on the company, no-one gets one.

Mr Hicks, there's no need to be so defensive =)

I do say that PCs should work just as well, given the parity of software in the creative industries. I was just wondering why designers appear drawn to macs.

I think it's easy to to dismiss it as "snobbery", but I also think such accusations are lazy. Designers are not as a rule snobs by any means, so what is it that draws them to the platform?

Feel and interface are important to designers. I'm not talking about an office worker, most of whom in my experience couldn't give a monkeys what's in front of them, or indeed about their job.

Maybe designers just care more about their work and have higher standards. Tools for the job.

Simon

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I once had to work with a lead designer at a rather large computer corp (who will remain nameless) and he was a right snob. In his head, everything he did was wonderful and everyone else's work was crap or insignificant.

Ironically he was using Windows.

Most designers are lovely though

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Matt Doyle, Elated
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I began my design career using Macs exclusively... back when it was a necessity due to PostScript fonts and whatnot. As time passed and I began to focus on Web/Interactive Design, I gradually (and reluctantly) switched over to the PC platform out of necessity (and the PostScript thing became a non-issue).

About a year ago, I interviewed for a job at one of the big marketing/interactive agencies in the area. When I pulled my PC laptop out to connect to their projector and show my portfolio, the CEO actually snickered a bit and said "You ever use a Mac?" I relayed the above history to him, and he said "Oh, it's no big deal, I've just never met a designer who uses a PC."

I didn't ultimately get the job (no surprise), but a couple months later won an AMA award for "Best Web Site of 2009." Go figure *shrug*

[Edited by webmaestro on 11-Dec-09 11:31]

Great story webmaestro - and congratulations on the web award.

Do you ever get tempted to move back to a Mac, or have you come to love (or at least accept) the PC way of things?

Matt

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Matt Doyle, Elated
3rd Edition of my jQuery Mobile book out now! Learn to build mobile web apps. Free sample chapter: http://store.elated.com/

Hi webmaestro,

Sounds like you met a mac snob! Webdesigners are more disposed to use PCs than print types I think - less of a legacy maybe.

Could we see the site that won the award please? It's always great to see good work!

Simon

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Matt:

Yep, I always missed the Mac platform/OS, and frequented the local Apple store for years. In August '09, I transitioned to a new job, and in our department it's all-Mac. They outfitted me with a shiny, new Mac Pro and 24" Cinema Display. However, I still use PC's at home, since I've already invested so much in that regard.

Simon:

Sadly, I used to BE one of those Mac snobs too. I was quite the "Mac evangelist" up until I made the switch to PC.

As is often the case, the award-winning site has since been modified by the client (they left our agency a few months after the site launched, as part of an internal reorganization). However, you can see a couple of the original screenshots by scrolling down to "AmazingMail" in my online portfolio, here: http://www.bobbygdavis.com/portfolio.html (it was the "Corporate Site" that won)

If you visit the current live site www.amazingmail.com , just know that it's the result of THEIR tinkering--not quite what we originally designed/launched.

[Edited by webmaestro on 14-Dec-09 13:43]

Nothing to do with snobbery. Choice only. I can understand this thinking though as I agree many old school Mac users who are pure mac saw a lot of MS games. They act superior now Mac are back on top. On top does not mean I infer better than.

I do both coding (js, jquery, coldfusion, jsp) and design (all adobe cs and css) on OSX. I very rarely use windows. Why? Choice nothing else guys. I have used both platforms I prefer Macs as they make my life easier, but YMMV.

A few points as to why I choose to use OSX over Win:

OSX is simpler...it makes it easier therefore to handle design projects. It is has many features there for design as in the dark days of OSX apple survived from designers. These are subtle and too much to go into here.

I NEVER pirate software OSX has better ethics, I feel that is true. So there is not as much annoying protection. You won't find many mac users stealing software. Win is stuck with mad protection to try to stop stealing.

OSX is based on BSD (you all know this right?)...we can run all our server stuff here and save a Linux/BSD install. This is a HUGE deal guys - bigger than many think. I deploy to unix like most of you...I cut out the win hassle here. Yep I know about VM's but it is faster working native still. I can have on my OSX development box a Unix server and software almost the same as my unix deployment server. Much faster and I cut out the hassle of differences win needs to develop on. Ofc if you deploy to MS you would be the opposite. As a developer you should learn BSD/Linux/Unix and how it works. You can play on OSX just pop up the terminal and away you go.

There is software parity now. I don't think this is a reason why I use Macs.

There is also the very weird thing that designers are into imagery...Macs are sold better for imagery than any other PC. And I don't think gamer PCs with lights flashing are cool...I am 30 and I work for a living with my computer I don't play games on my computer...those lights and mad shapes just annoy me. Macs look cool in my office and impress clients....silly but all marketing/imagery selling is silly but it works.

Look as I have said to win users. Chill I know there is hype. But your on a platform that can do everything OSX can do. If you like it stick. Your not going to get much better here for your design/coding work.

However if you like OSX just jump in. It is not hard.

There are issues regarding if you have built up win software licensing etc. That makes it hard to move and throw that away. I can't leave Apple as I have so much software on upgrade steams here I would lose to go win. Or if you like to tinker in a machine yourself. You work with MS technologies and like them. There is many reasons not to move your OS.

Must go work to do...if you want any more info on Macs post away...good question this...but at the end of the day I and many designers can do the same work on either platform if we had to. So back to what I said at the start - choice nothing else there is no magic reason.

@ webmaestro

Good stuff! They haven't destroyed it too badly - I've seen a lot worse!


@michaelkav

Fair points all. My advice is always that if it has to make you money, stick with what you know.

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Yep that is true...too many technology wars going on...we have to accept we can't learn it all...choose and stick with it...even car mechanics now are specific to a make...it is just the way choice is going not just in our industry but all.

I get asked all the time which technology is better. Please tell me I need to know I need to be sure and confident I am doing it right. Ever get this from your padawans?

My simple answer is if it does the same job none...very few projects benefit from different technologies that can do the same being used over each other unless the project has very large specific goals one technology is known to excel at...but day to day bog standard projects...none are better...it is the skill of the product user that matters not the product...you will find good and bad win/osx users out there.

Funny world no matter your OS stick with what your good at that makes you money and don't get crazy to try and learn it all. I tried that and you end up never sleeping and having no family time. So be careful you don't end up doing that...we have all been there...and I strongly say not to try it...think twice before adding a technology to your skills...you may be better just improving what you know already.

@ webmaestro

Congratulations on the award. In my book I'd say your client hasn't 'destroyed' it! There are some clients I know that have done much worse to their website!!

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http://www.mauconline.net

Absolutely. I think that the thing top realise is that it doesn't matter what OS you use, so long as your ideas and execution are great.

Personally, I have Macs because I can fix them, and understand them (a bit, anyway). Other than that I could work on Windows quite happily (and have done).

Simon

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@michaelkav

Thanks for your advice to "stick with what you're good at that makes you money and don't get crazy to try and learn it all." In the past I used to think it was good to know "everything" and that really took its toll on my time, health, family and social life... but now I know better!

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http://www.mauconline.net

I've pretty much given up on learning it all too. Nowadays I try to just do a few things well.

I would like to learn Aftereffects though, but sadly I don't really have the time.

Simon

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Hi all, this is an IT guy( i mean, who had experience of using mac & pc for 10 years) and then talking:

I've used Xserve (yeah baby, its for industrial purposes. + networking), Mac Pro + all mac stuff. and have used windows '95, xp, 2000NT, Vista. (thank life/god for such an opportunity.)

Designers: straight and simple: they are happy to spend, but not good at taking risks.

Apple products + people who release apple applications, in their world.. nothing comes for free

Windows products + people releasing win applications are available for free or relatively cheap.

Seen/experienced both worlds and can say one thing... its just the people who use those products are morons.

The producers share/copy/implement ideas with just 1 or 2 added benefits. but, worthless consumers wage a war against each other.

Seriously our brains are so f***ed up, that we can't accept two humans in two different skin colors...

I'd suggest, lets master our brain. We are slaves to it now-a-days!

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I found it hard to accept a mac in two different colours circa 2000.

Simon

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Very good conversation...

I think it comes down to one thing, a designer is usually a designer and that's all they care about. They don't want to have to worry about if their computer works or if it doesn't. They don't want to take the time to gain knowledge about what they are using and how it works. They just want to log on and do what they need to do, so they are happy to pay through the teeth for apple to take everything out of their hands and handle it for them.

However, once in a while you come across a good designer that also has a passion for technology and knows the ins and outs of a computer..mac or PC...and has the knowledge to build a machine that makes an apple look like a turtle for just a fraction of the cost. This person also knows how to keep a system clean and running top notch and never has to call in an IT to fix something that is just an extension of his or her own brain and fingertips. And as for design and aesthetic purposes....YOUR a Designer! don't you like to design things your way? or at least have the ability too? My windows 7 machine looks nothing like what windows looks like by default or behaves that way. Because I have control...not Apple...not Microsoft...me!
Just for an experiment, I brought in my laptop which I completely customized to look operate and feel like mac osx and my teacher thought for sure i had installed moc osx or was running parallels on it and was dumb founded when he found out it was just win7..lol. I don't keep it this way of course..that's just silly..lol..i keep it the way i want it to operate.

mac doesn't even make a system that has the specs i run or am looking for, the only option is to buy a tower with way more than I need for 10 times the price that i don't have as much control over. really though, why does a designer need a server cpu in their tower? so apple can get rich? its unnecessary.

so why do i also use a mac for design? because in the end it's not about high specs or more for the money, it's about being a team player. if thats what the whole team uses then I'm gonna use it too. you don't want to stand out like a sore thumb, or be discriminated against. you just want to do your job. Although i'm constantly wanting to stand up and say.." ITS BECAUSE MY LAPTOP IS BLACK ISN'T IT?"....lmao..just kidding.. but really though. do what you want on your time and what they want on theirs. life will be much easier and more peaceful that way. and you'll get much further.

[Edited by Duane on 08-Sep-11 12:51]

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Im Duane, and Im a Mac and a PC!

I'm a designer and developer and I use Mac for personal, Windows for work (because I have to).

I do prefer Mac over Windows but I don't think everyone who feels like I do should be tossed in the Mac snob bin. (Why isn't there a Windows snob bin?) Windows came to the forefront first and still owns the majority of the market so there's that. I like my Mac because my work flow is more efficient, and oh ya no viruses. No tinkering with Norton or Kapersky pop ups all day while I'm working on a design.

Most everyone I know who hates on Mac has never truly given it a chance. I admit when I first made the switch I was out of sorts for a week, but after that no looking back. If you or someone you know is a Mac hater there IS hope. Besides, your PC will most likely crash by the time you get back from the Apple store anyways ; )

[Edited by knj836 on 28-Mar-12 12:50]