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Why Designers Are Good Pick Up Artists

The number one trait that makes designers and pick up artists siblings from different mothers is their ability to instigate emotions in the end user (which can be a person they just met or the end customer they want in their sales funnel).

“Wait, what? That’s possible? But Paul, not all designers are extroverted or have the necessary social calibration to approach the opposite sex on the street.”

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Designers do it through their work – an arresting poster, a book jacket, interactions embedded into an app on your phone, a piece of furniture or architecture, and so on. Pick up artists do it through sub-communications, while engaging with the opposite sex.

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While designers use typography, colours, and visuals to make even the most mundane subject exciting, pick up artists use voice modulation, body language, and vibes to spike a conversation.

“Hey! You’re hot! But looks are commodity! I’m hoping there’s something more to you and you’re not boring?”

Translate to branding or the design industry at large, echoes of “lipstick on a pig” reverberate when design has only cosmetic impact. The ensuing argument suggests that design be meaningful and built on true insights – which comes from research, fact-finding, discovery, interviews, user tests, and so on.

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The next thing which good pickup artists and designers have in common is their ability to convey intent. Clarity in communication is key to successful design work, as well as pick up. “Why do you need this product or service? What do I want from you?” Guiding users through a complex task on a website with seamless interactions is good user experience design. Just like leading the conversation, passing “tests” in the conversation, and moving the woman or man you’re courting one step closer towards a date or giving their phone number is good game.

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Lastly, good pickup artists and design leaders are equipped with emotional intelligence. They are able to guide thinking by listening, to be aware of their surroundings, to constantly be reading and catching someone else’s true emotions while being self-aware and congruent in approach.

In conclusion, designers and pick up artists are designing and driving the human experience.

All art courtesy of PaulSyng.com

Paul Syng

Paul Syng is a multi-disciplinary designer based in Toronto. He focuses on a problem-solving approach, agnostic to form or function. Paul has lived and worked in Chandigarh, Mumbai & New York - doing brand strategy and design projects of all scope & size. He has also written for GQ, AskMen & The Tribune.