Eyes and Ears

I have friends that are genius at music production and mixing. They’re pulling up EQ visualizers, boosting low-end, slicing out pesky buzzes, “rolling off” high end, carefully dialling compressors, slapping on different reverbs. And that’s just the stuff I understand.

Truth be told, as they nip and tuck sound, I can’t always hear the difference. But the proof is in the pudding; the final mix is balanced, lush, and interesting. They’ve trained their ears, the same a way sommelier trains their nose and tongue.

Designers train their eyes. We’re constantly comparing the gap between letter-spacing and counterforms, flipping through swatches in our heads, boosting contrast by notches, overshooting points and curves, massaging anchor points, bumping things around so they’re “optically centered” even if that means not EXACTLY centered.

This minutiae is part of what separates the pros from the amateurs. This post is a self-reminder to enjoy the meticulous. Folks that can’t see the difference like to label it an example of overthinking or perfectionism. But it’s really just craft.