The Audience

“The audience comes last… the audience doesn’t know what they want. The audience only knows what’s come before,” – Rick Rubin

Framed by what already exists, the audience only has a sense for what they want. Therefore, the most creative work occurs when there is a level of disregard for the audience. Creators should look to the audience for pragmatic rational input but trust themselves on semiotic, emotional decisions.

However, this perhaps highlights the divide between art and design. Art has an audience, while design has users. Design positions the user front and centre, whereas art simply hints that an audience exists.