This article wasn't particularly interesting – except for one word that they used that I was somewhat amused by: "angst".
In the context of design, it refers to designers who run around complaining about things, designing within a framework and general existence of discontent and well, angst. The resulting designs might be visually engaging, yes, but in terms of the feelings that they impart on a user (and in the end, design is important because it does encompass that emotional element), it is mere resentment. What is abandoned is the fun, the joy, the happiness that design can bring to someone's life. These "angsty" designers and their designs have forgotten the power of design to make people smile. It might sound romantic and delusional and all, but really, I'm pretty sure I'd prefer it if my life was filled with "happy" things, rather than angry "angsty" things.
Caplan, R. 2006, ‘Why Designers Can Think’, in Bierut, M., Drenttel, W. & Heller, S. 2006, Looking closer 5, Allworth Press, New York.
