Looking for information for a class I’m teaching on Page Layout, I ran across a video on YouTube of Paul Rand, the designer for whom was, perhaps, my first entree to the notion of design as a profession. The interview I attached is by a group interviewing Steve Jobs, who at the time, was developing a company called Next, after he left Apple in the early nineties, oh so long ago.
Job’s description of the work of Paul Rand embodies what, if anything, describes the direction of the modern designer: “[Paul] is the intertwining of a pure artist and somebody who is very astute at solving business problems.”
In another interview from around the same time, I heard Rand speak about the relative simplicity of the solution that he develops. In an interview on Connecticut Public Television (search YouTube for miggb), he retorts that the relative simplicity [of various logos—in this case the logo for ABC] could be duplicated and drawn by a child.
Reading between the lines, the designer is in the solution business, not the art business, nor the consultant business. Rand’s approach was about being both.
There’s a matter-of-fact, bluntness that leaves one wanting when hearing Rand speak of the pursuit of the solution. His book A Designer’s Art, perhaps my first graphic design read, is where his thoughts go into full bloom. But, in the Connecticut Public Radio interviews he’s basically like: I did this or that because I think it works.
I attached this video because the Steve Jobs of the 1990s, captures the speakable and the unspoken of what paul Rand brought to the table and that factor that a designer or design firm should be bringing to the table. Asked about Rand’s process, Jobs said it’s not to so much that he could say about it, but more that you could feel it.
Recently, I was asked by a student what was better generalization or specialization and frankly I am of a divided opinion:
I’ve heard that being a generalist and knowing a bunch of different things in design waters down the thing that one specializes in and devalues the body of professional achievement.
I’ve also heard the opposite: Applying a diverse background of work often informs a designer by giving that person “fresh eyes” to a problem.
…And read a bit on this: In The Dip, Seth Godin says that the way our society is, there’s little value in being ranked lower than, say number six in any category. So, if one were a generalist, it means they do so at the danger of not adding to their strengths, whose achievement more than pays for itself in benefits (i.e. work, awards, money, etc.)
Well, I opened the question up to the AIGA Baltimore LinkedIn group and here are some responses from our great group members:
“I was asked by a student which is better: being a generalist and being moderately good at alot of disciplines in design or being a specialist? What are your thoughts?”
Lucas writes: “Being a jack-of-all-trades type of person I feel that I have had success through that path. But there is trouble finding a job outside of just freelancing that suits this type of process. I think you run into trouble trying to figure out where you fit in with a 9-5 job in terms of salary, “Am I a Web Designer or more of a developer or am I just a poser?” Also, I fantasize about being a hand-lettering specialist. Do what feels right, do it well and things will come your way.”
Brian writes: “From what I’ve experienced when you start out you have to be a jack of all trades to get people in the door and feed yourself. Then as you season you usually are attracted to a couple of things you are passion about and specialize in thus become known for.”
Stephanie adds: “More and more clients are coming to us (professional talent firm) for that Hybrid Designer / Developer. But more than anything they want to see the passion for what you do and they want you to be able to communicate that with those you work with.”
Just a small sampling of the population but opinions abound. Have an opinion? Feel free to add it to our discussion. Thanks.
AIGA Baltimore held Critique Hash Brown on Sunday, January 16 at City Cafe, and it was a good time had by all. We partook in their fabulous brunch with fresh cinnamon buns, omelets, Belgian waffles, bacon and more. But then, we also got to spend a long time (so long, we were kindly told we had outspent our time at our table) talking about current design challenges we are each having. Many shared their in-progress projects that have hit a wall, and others got to share their design love and war stories with the group.
Thank you to Wing Pokrywka for holding this event, and thanks to Meredith, Courtney, Maarten, Kate and Kristin for joining in the fun.
Be sure to watch out for Critique Hash Brown to be held again as it was a great time to spend a Sunday morning!
Watching the NFL Playoffs, and the loss of the Baltimore Ravens, had me taking in the way the analysts discussed the loss. But more importantly, how they wasted no time in discussing the makeup of next season’s team. The old adage of “not for long,” being an acronym for NFL, has never been more true than in the modern game.
The way the game works nowadays, a player grows into a role, and if upon becoming relatively indispensable in their early career, they test the “free agent” market and they’re often gone to the competitor in a flash. That’s perhaps the truest test of how indispensable one is in the NFL. Will they keep the promising guy? On one end, we’d have a franchise player and on the other end, we have the journeyman who fills a role.
Without a doubt, each player on the team needs to know not only how integral their role in the team is: Are you playing for the long-term contract or are you playing (to impress) for your next team? Furthermore, they need to know what the team’s metrics dictate regarding these decisions as well. (Does the current team have a chance to make the playoffs? Does the current team have enough money to pay me what I’m worth?)
Similarly, the creative world has grown the same way. Many of the new economy experts say there is increased emphasis focus on assembling teams that evolve with laser specificity to certain projects and dissolve more fluidly. But you know this already. Environments that inoculate the creative from the stark realities of business are becoming more and more rare.
It feels like a million years ago that advertising stalwart, Eisner & Associates, suddenly closed its doors, leaving clients, suppliers and employees twisting in the wind. While that’s the extreme scenario, creatives have entered the free agent nation as well. Smaller teams for many projects just may be the new normal.
I recently worked on a design project where I felt like one of the cast from Ocean’s Thirteen: A group of folks on a conference call whom I would never know, anchored together with specific tasks to perform, a decent project and a project coordinator. Each person bringing something to the project to make it work.
The new economy is pushing us this way. With the American GDP estimating a weak recovery so far, after a disastrous two years, watching the bottom line is what everyone’s doing. Evil Catbert HR directors routinely are trying to figure out how to get your work done without you doing it. Businesses will hire from anywhere. What’s not made in China is even rarer. The bottom line is the top priority.
So, it’s not a surprise when a creative colleague gets that meeting—the kind of meeting at the end of Wall Street (the original)—where one’s walking into the office and everyone is whispering about the impending changes immediately coming to the company. Of course, let’s substitute Charlie Sheen’s character being arrested for being laid off at the end of the movie.
The new economy is about bringing on people who can “do that (special) thing you do” the way Richard Price, the author of Clockers, was brought in to David Simon’s The Wire. as told in an interview on NPR. “That thing you do,” of course, is something that shows a special creative insight that inspires and attracts attention. His was the aforementioned book. What is yours?
“The fundamental unit in today’s economy is the individual, a.k.a. YOU! Jobs are performed by temporary networks that disband when the job is done. So to succeed you have to think of yourself as a freelance-contractor—BRAND YOU! Someone who is savvy, informed, always learning and growing, who knows how to sell herself, and—most important—does work that matters.” — Tom Peters, the Brand You 50.
It’s wholly important that the creative professional hone their skills whether they area a franchise player or a free agent, because in the end, we are all free agents, as nothing is promised. This is the driving ethic behind initiatives like AIGA Baltimore on Behance, a curated page for the AIGA Baltimore audience, or recent events such as Critique Hash Brown, one of which took place recently.
Taking the opportunity to hone your skills or going the extra mile to develop new ones keeps your creative energy focused so that someone wants you to do that special thing you do.
If you haven’t been already, now is the time for full-speed ahead. Aim for your dreams and aspirations by making each project and every hour work for those goals. In an interview featured on this blog earlier this year with Greg Bennett of WorktoDate, he revealed his secret for creativity on a grand scale on projects: “total immersion”.
Design. Re-Design… But Simply Do.
Design Army’s revelation in their lecture called “Strip” pointed out that while often very busy, not all of their projects are high profile or high budget. Some projects don’t even “cover” the design budget in search of the creative execution. But, they’ve fashioned a formula that doesn’t skimp on creativity, nor success. They work the ideas until the concepts and sketches make just as much sense as the final executions.
Last year, I read a quote from the venerable Michael Beirut in which he said: “Be generous with your work. See something that needs doing or redoing.” Design/redesign. Keeping a bevy of ideas and projects is always a way to keep your concepting and portfolio fresh. Sometimes you may even need to “turn off the meter” in order to let the creativity flow.
Still, this doesn’t mean you have to give away the creativity for free.
Strip Lecture, AIGA Event April 2010, ®Design Army
Sketch. Sketch Often.
Pum Lefebure of the very same Design Army said in the “Strip” lecture that every project that they work on has to work conceptually before they bother to design it. This means that sketching out the idea—which is faster than designing and gets the design to a state where it can be evaluated for things like “flow” and “tenor” can be made and adjustments can go in before the work of laying out the design.
Sketches are just tools to get you to the ultimate piece that you are creating and they don’t need to be artistic masterpieces in and of themselves. They need to make sense to you and need to help you make decisions on the work you’re doing/planning to do/have done.Keep in mind that one of the most famous jazz albums of all time: Kind of Blue was developed on napkins, based on chords that Miles Davis had been thinking about.
So keep your sketchbook and keep adding to it. It helps you offload the ideas—and the interface problems—to a real, tactile environment, helping you to address those problems before putting time into them. Allow the concept to be as good as the execution.
Esquire Magazine, January 2011
Do It and Do It Again. The Result May Surprise.
I read an interview article in the January 2011 issue of Esquire’s “What I Learned” segment focused on Robert DeNiro’s role in Taxi Driver, delivered by Jodie Foster:
“By the time I got the role in Taxi Driver, I’d already made more stff than De Niro or Martin Scorcese. I’d been working from the time I was three years old. So even though I was only twelve, I felt like I was the veteran there.
DeNiro took me aside before we started filming. He kept picking me up form my hotel and taking me to different diners. The first time he basically didn’t say anything . He would just like, mumble. the second time he started to run lines with me, which was pretty boring because I already knew the lines. The third time, he ran lines with me again and now I was really bored. The fourth time, he ran lines with me, but then he started going off on these completely different ideas within the scene, talking about crazy things and asking me to follow in terms of imporvisation.
So we’d start with the original script and then he’d go off on some tangent and I’d have to follow, and then it was my job to eventually find the space to bring him back to the last three lines of the text we’d already just learned.
It was a huge revelation for me, because until that moment I thought beig an actor was just acting naturally and saying the lines someone else wrote. Nobeody had ever asked me to build a character. The only thing they’d ever done to direct me was to say something like “Say it faster’ or “say it slower”. So it was a whole new feeling for me because I realized acting was not a dumb job. You know, I thought it was a dumb job. Somebody else writes something and then you repeat it. Like, how dumb is that?
There was this moment, in some diner somewhere, when I realized for the first time that it was me who hadn’t brought enough to the table. And I felt this excitement where you’re all sweaty and you can’t eat and you can’t sleep.”
® House Industries
Sweat the details.
Rich Roat of House Industries has made a living of having a company that sweats the details. If I could tell one thing about the lecture that Rich gave, it would be that. … and the custom-made House Industries motorcycle jacket that Rich wore was “phat”.
“That the best thing you can do for yourself as a designer is not get too comfortable.”
The often-heard, less seldom followed advice came from Dave Plunkert, of Spur Design, the illustrator and designer of our Pulp, Ink and Hops 2010 campaign.
Your comfort zone is so yesterday. A book I read called the Visionary Handbook discusses how businesses often are here today, gone tomorrow because they don’t successfully undermine their own success to allow it to evolve.
Like, the success of Blockbuster’s mining the 80’s and 90’s video rental era and its inability to translate that success into a business model that could compete with media (and market share) evolution of Netflix.
Invent (re-invent) your reason for being as needed and allow yourself to be uncomfortable.
Find and Guard Your Value.
Spec, or speculative work, and creative exploration are two sides of the street. While it takes no more for you to exercise your creativity than to develop a concept of something that needs doing/re-doing, it’s still very important not to underestimate the value of your work and talents to the role of communication. So, properly value them. Spec work websites or projects often compromise the creative rights of the designer.
Exploring concepts creatively—for your own growth—on the other hand give you the opportunity to add to your portfolio and concept and develop solutions to design problems. In the business world, isn’t this simply called R&D?
It’s the research (work) that is needed to contribute to a breakthrough. By contrast, spec-work is a gamble that could or could not pay off. In many ways, contributing to spec-work has the same fruitfulness of taking your most valuable asset: your time and contributing it to a lottery.
A lottery? which reminds me: “Work hard to take the gamble out of the gamble.” Donald Trump. If you can do that, then what someone else calls a gamble might very well be worth it. In which case, you can do what you want.
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,800 times in 2010. That’s about 7 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 83 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 103 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 29mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was September 8th with 60 views. The most popular post that day was Felt & Wire call for designers!.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were baltimore.aiga.org, linkedin.com, twitter.com, facebook.com, and email00.secureserver.net.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for design army, pizza box, pizza box design, poster competition no fee, and scott belsky.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
This SHAG program is sponsored by Dolphin Press & Print at MICA and MICA’s programs in Graphic Design and illustration. SHAG website is sponsored by AQUENT, the talent agency for marketers and designers.
There’s an exhibit by MICA illustration alumni opening on Sunday. (It also looks like a great opportunity to score some early holiday presents.)
Here’s the info:
WHAT:IL NXT: Illustration Next at Case[werks]
Curated by Whitney Sherman, director of the new M.F.A. in Illustration Practice at MICA, IL NXT is an exhibition of illustration practice today. With our daily lives awash in technology, we crave handmade items as our cultural narratives play out on clothing, personal items and environments. This show—with works by MICA alumni Lauren Castillo, Emily Flake, Pamela Hobbs, Colin Johnson, Elena Johnston, Daniel Krall, Alyssa Nassner, Jess Neil, Jessica O’Brien, Jill Popowich, Joey Potts, Brian Rea, Whitney Sherman, Gina Triplett and Alex Uyeno—represents some of illustration’s new storytelling models interwoven with time-honored traditional methods.
The exhibition is sponsored by the MICA Alumni Association, MICA’s Office of Research and in partnership with Case[werks], a national supplier of archival exhibit furnishings and gallery products located in the heart of the Station North Arts District. www.casewerks.com or http://www.facebook.com/casewerks
Last week, AIGA members, creative professionals, and passersby congregated in the newly-opened Baltimore Print Studios for AIGA Baltimore’s 13th Annual Pulp, Ink & Hops paper show. While many years have passed since the attendees had trick-or-treated, this region’s largest paper show came very close to replicating that cherished childhood tradition.
Equipped with yellow Neenah Paper shopping bags (instead of pillow cases or those jack-o’-lantern plastic baskets that seemingly every child owned growing up), attendees moseyed from table to table. More than 20 vendors shared information on design services and the latest trends in papers while a local microbrewery offered free hops.
(For those with a sweet tooth, an assortment of candy greeted the attendees at the registration table.) Baltimore Print Studios provided live demonstrations in their new space, and Dave Plunkert was present to sign the Pulp, Ink & Hops posters he designed for the event. Attendees left this year’s Pulp, Ink & Hops feeling inspired and reassured that print is surely not dead, and they proceeded home to pour out their goodies on the floor and share with friends.
And thanks to Aura Seltzer for writing this post. Check out her website when you get a chance.
