Designers – has Twitter helped or hindered your work?

As the social media giant marks its ten year anniversary, we ask designers whether they have found Twitter a productive resource or a destructive influence…

Michael Smith, founding director, Cog Design
Michael Smith, founding director, Cog Design

“I bloody love Twitter. I love the random trails I wander down; I love that old colleagues keep in touch, and new friends make contact; I love that it’s constantly evolving within such strict parameters; I love that at least one of our biggest clients found us through a tweet; I love that it’s about celebrity to some and friendship to others, and a mix of both for most; I love the informality. 

But it is my biggest source of distraction and procrastination. I hate that, while writing these few lines, I’ve checked my feed (more than once); I hate how easy it is to offend; I hate how easily people are offended; I hate that it creates ghettos and reinforces prejudices; I hate that it’s a substitute for real discussion and debate; I hate the informality. I bloody hate Twitter.”

@cog_design/@michael_cog


Pali Palavathanan, founder and creative director, TEMPLO
Pali Palavathanan, founder and creative director, TEMPLO

“I’m generally a private person and dislike over-sharing but Twitter has definitely helped some of our projects for the United Nations, Amnesty International and #StopTorture to go viral and gain exposure. Twitter is hard to ignore, which means it can inspire genuine change. We’ve even had a few instances where Twitterati have used our campaign branding as profile imagery, which is interesting!

It has connected ideas that start as scribbles on a bus to a global audience. On second thoughts maybe I should start using it more…”

@T_E_M_P_L_O/@pali_p


James Greenfield, founder and creative director, Koto
James Greenfield, founder and creative director, Koto

It’s easy to lose the novelty and wonder of a new product and inevitably let negativity take over. Twitter is going through this process at the moment.

For me there is no doubt that Twitter has helped our work. We’ve won clients, found valued team members and built a strong community using social media. Connecting with the international design community helps us celebrate each others work as part of a meritocracy.

Twitter breaks down barriers, helping small teams challenge the established companies for the biggest of briefs and as a result I don’t have bad word to say about it. 

@studiokoto/@gradiate


Matt Baxter, Baxter and Bailey
Matt Baxter, creative director, Baxter and Bailey

“If you’ll indulge me, I’ll answer that in two tweets. I couldn’t manage it in one.

A late adopter, I ‘got’ Twitter in 2011. It was fun & opened up all kinds of connections. We found friends & collaborators because of it.

The downside: it’s a time sponge & often overrun with ranters and marketing. I’ve been guilty of both. And 140 characters are never quite en”

@baxterandbailey/@mb_tweets

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