tukang.

i was in this class taught by the one and only Mr. D. Wiyancoko (i hate to say this but he is one of my favorite lecturer and one of the honest and smartest people i've met in my life) and one of my class mate asked this question when we were discussing about what is design and what's a designer? she asked "Sir, so with the designer out there without education and we are here in our master class, which one is the designer?"

DW : it's gonna hurt a little. they are. you're all not more than a bunch of design scholar. 

Her  : What if we work as a designer in a company?

DW : well, that means you are a worker that do the design job there, doesn't make you a designer.

(now i could see some of the people in my class moving uncomfortably in their sit trying to speak up for their title and career's sake.)

DW : okay, let me explain. when all you do are just waiting for a job to come, and work it, make it more beautiful, more useful according to what the client wants, you're not more than a tukang.  if you're only known for your best taste of choosing colors or so, you really need to work harder. unless you're doing that and also specialized in it. for example: you're specialized in any natural home product, so people will always recognize your name whenever they talk about natural home product. it's sad and hurtful, i know. but only few lucky design scholars that finally able to declare themselves as a real designer. 

well, designer (Scholar) mates. that's a slap on the face i guess, but i always personaly think that way. i always see a definition of a designer embodied in Phillipe Stark, Tom Dixon, Hella Jongerious. those who actually do something (even as annoyed as i am towards Joshua S. i have to admit that he is one of Indonesia's well known designer), not Mr. John Doe who works at a famous design company. i  hope someday i'll be a designer.