Our first installment of Around the Way features Slate Magazine’s series on signage and wayfinding, buried history in the Paris Metro, and how to be the designer you want to be.

In Paris, the main representative of the Art Nouveau style was Hector Guimard. Perhaps most remembered for the avant-garde Paris Metro enclosures designed for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, he enjoyed a relatively brief period of success. Although a gifted architect and pioneer in the movement, Guimard struggled to maintain prominence through clients and commissions and faded into obscurity.

As designers we are problem solvers. It’s our responsibility to dig deeper into our assignments and find the real underlying problems we are tasked with solving. Part of the puzzle is accomplishing the goals of our clients, the other half is meeting the needs and desires of the end user. We are problem-solving for the users as well, discovering and designing the the best way for them to engage products, services and interactions of all sorts.

There are many associated terms and buzzwords — usability, user experience (UX), human centered design (HCD), user interface design (UI), etc. Regardless of what you call it or which practice you align with, it comes from the understanding that every piece of designed information will have an audience other than ourselves, and that information needs to be designed in a way that meets the audience’s needs. Information design is ultimately a human-centered practice.

Back in December I shared with you a new site that I was excited about, called Processed Identity. If you remember, the mission of the site is “sharing how you got there”, and focused on exploring and emphasizing the creative process used to develop brand identities. Since then a lot has happened, with the site launch in mid January and the first round of contributions and discussions.

It’s a tough world out there. A design student’s transition from school to the professional world can be a bit rocky, especially if they aren’t well prepared and aware of the realities of the daily grind and client demands. No amount of preparation, however, compares to the lessons learned from real world experience.

Preparing for a career in design can be a daunting task. It’s a scary world out there. Many young designers have a rough transition from school the the professional world, many times due to lack of preparation. As design is such a broad spectrum of disciplines and responsibilities, it’s nearly impossible to equip a design student for every situation they may face in their first few years out of school.

Imagine yourself getting ready to do some shopping. Or perhaps grabbing a bite to eat. Do you choose a store or restaurant you’ve been before, or do you try some place new? If you try someplace familiar, somewhere you’ve been before, chances are it’s because of good products or good food. But it might also have something to do with the experience, the way that place made you feel, and how much fun you may have had before. Not only is a quality product important to a brand, but also the space that product lives in. A well designed branded environment can have a significant impact on the performance of a company and ultimately its brand.

Just the other day I stumbled upon a new project by designer Steve Zelle (who operates as idApostle) called Processed Identity. Developed in response to news from iStockPhoto and existing sites like Brandstack, Steve’s mission for Processed Identity is to “explore the creative processes designers use when defining and refining visual brands”. In doing so Steve has done a great thing: instead of attacking iStockPhoto or joining an angry mob of designers shouting at themselves, Processed Identity will help demonstrate the value of thoughtful, well considered design to both our clients and the rest of the design community.

We’re nearing the end of 2009, gearing up for the holiday season. For many this time of year also brings the possibility of bonuses, promotions or other perks as reward for the past year of hard work. The question I pose is this: are we ethically rewarding those who are truly doing good work?