Good Times in Beantown
Hi! and greetings from a very rainy, grey, can’t-see-beyond-your-elbow-in-fog Boston this morning… thought you all would like to see a picture from the AIGA Design Legends Gala held Wednesday evening at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston… an unforgettable black tie event celebrating the 2005 recipients of the AIGA Medal and the Corporate Leadership Award. The recipients of the awarding were Bart Crosby from Chicago, Meredith Davis of North Carolina State University and Steff Geissbuhler of C&G Partners of New York City and Hallmark Corporation and Gillette Corporation. I’m very proud of the representation of our students at this event last evening. As someone remarked to me… seems they can ‘walk with kings and talk with politicians’… they can!.
So far the conference has been great. Great and busy. Heard Michael Beirut speak to us students…heard John Beilenberg on Project M and am about to hear Steven Heller speak on design history right now…
OK…last update was a little short.
And actually we didn’t see Steven Heller speak today, we listened to a presentation by the MIT media lab - blurring the line between programming, content, design, and culture. Pretty sharp stuff. Not anything I would jump into being that it is really all screen based…Probably the most moving thing I saw today was a presentation involving the rural studio. An Auburn architecture endeavor involving real application of ideologies many people only talk about. Giving back. Making change. Building new lives. The homes they have built for people in Newborn, Alabama have been shown in the Whitney, and will soon be in other exhibitions as well. Sustainability or more so resourcefulness of design with a social cause. It’s rare. Often talked about but hardly done, much less with actual buildings, homes, etc. SO CHECK OUT THE “RURAL STUDIO” to see a cross disciplinary effort. Designers, social activists, craftspeople, architects, PEOPLE THAT WORK PRETTY DAMN HARD even when its not convienent. Some students stayed a year after they were done with school to finish the local firestation they were building. F’ing inspiring.
Hey Tania.
This was my first AIGA event, and really it was a great experience. There was TOO much to do, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to see everything because it was just humanly impossible. John Hockenberry, if you’ve never seen him MC, is amazing. His improv style is something you’d have to see to really appreciate. He was answering email and calling attendees from the stage, and I was fortunate enough to get a call from him on Friday as he began the main stage events for the day in front of the entire conference. Some other highlights had to have been DJ Spooky, whose music and commentary on current graphic design and it’s relationship with hip/hop sampling is not only incredibly insightful, but was also probably my favorite speaker from the entire conference. And lastly, I have to add how good of an experience it was to volunteer. Pretty much, we had free reign of the conference. We could meet anyone we wanted, we were privy to VIP parties where I drank Corona and riffed with David Carson for half an hour about MY work. Where else could I have gone out for beers and burgers with Marc English, and have cocktails in the Museum of Science. It was hard work, but the perks were more than worth it
Howdy Ho!
The students did a great job volunteering and making us proud! The Gala dinner was the most elegant night I have experienced in a very long time, I’m sure the students would agree. Hank was great, kept bringing celebrity designers to our table for introductions and hellos. Sean Adams of AdamsMoriioka loved the thank you basket Jenny Garrett put together and spoke highly of Justin Genovese who just completed an internship out in L.A. Michael Bierut, a Pentagram partner, could not say enough about Gillian Hargett who also just completed an internship with him. There was a fellow from ArtCenter sitting with us at the table and his mouth just kept falling open in awe.
I think we all had a positive experience at the conference. I have been a member for over six years and am continually amazed about all the significant efforts to enlighten the world about design.
Fernando
Admissions & Recruiting
Just got back from Boston after 7 days of constant energy. Its been a long time that I have done so much in one week. I agree with everyone else it was an amazing experience from the Gala, to the presentations (I worked in the Rural Studio session, like Kevin said f’ing inspiring!), but for me one of the best things was bonding with fellow PC’ers. I stayed in a room of 6 (sometimes 7) and really only knew 2 people well, not so anymore.
thanks for the belly-aching laughs 509, good times! Now back to work…
I also just got back from Boston and it was amazing! The conference offered such a wealth of opportunity to learn and to meet some of the major influential people that we reference in our projects, talks, etc… it was surreal to say the least… The Gala was like the “Oscars” of Graphic Design, unbelieveable!
But, above all, I agree with Julie, the bonding with the group I stayed with (same room as Julie) was amazing. We are so inundated with work at school that I don’t think we get the time to step back and really enjoy the people around us. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time….can’t say enough about room 509, we worked hard and played hard…
What impressed me the most about this conference was not the fame and greatness of the design legends attending (“legends are people, too”), but the tact, class and support shown by Fern and the PC students when one of their own falls victim to that fame and greatness at its worst. I think this conference was the most proud and a part of PC I’ve ever felt in my school career. I’ll be sure to be nice to you when I am rich, famous and conquering the world.
Sounds like the conference was a blast for everyone, wished I could have been there. Being new to the business of graphic design, I would have loved to see what everyone is doing and talking about in this new age. Good to hear about everyone’s positive experience.
My week in Boston was one of the best weeks I’ve had in the past two years. Sure, seeing great designers and hearing them speak was inspiring at times, but as is the case anywhere else I’ve ever been, it’s the people you truly interact with that make your experiences unique—and in this case inspiring. I had the privilege of meeting and spending every waking (and sleeping, for that matter) moment with my design contemporaries, both from PC and other schools. If the energy that we possess is any indication of what’s about to hit the design world in the next few years, I just hope the world’s ready for it. And if the more experienced generation of designers wants to challenge us to a dance-off, we’ll most definitely accept. Just be sure to honor us at an AIGA Dance Legends Gala.
Off the bat, I want to say thank you to the volunteers, especially the PC students and faculty volunteers. Having familiar faces at the conference certainly enhanced the experience. Your tireless efforts should not go unnoticed.
What stood out the most to me were the simple
messages:
Bill Strickland, http://www.bill-strickland.org/
He wanted to create a center to help the impoverished, and through the simple observation that the poor never have a nice day, he has made sure that the design of the building would give people a nice day and the ambition to succeed.
Bielenberg/Rural Studio, www.ruralstudio.com
Architecture = Shelter
Design = Communication
That’s it really.
Ellen Lupton, http://www.design-your-life.org/
Design is democratic. That was the basic theme. At this time nearly anyone can participate in design. (remember Sagmeister’s typographic experiments with hotdogs, and toilet paper, and other things… it takes very little training, if any, to do that).
The idea that anyone can participate in design, though, raises a big question for me… why will a client continue to hire me when they realize this?
This is what has kept me thinking since leaving Boston. I’d love to see what others may think.
AIGA, Boston. Boston was such a great city to have the AIGA conference. The Gala was great. I loved seeing everyone all dressed and having a good time. The best part was getting to know my fellow PC students outside of school. You guys are amazing and I am so proud to be a part of the group. Also, I enjoyed the warm welcome from PC grads who were attending the conference. The conference had a lot to offer and I learned some things about me and where I fit into this industry. I think I’ll fit in just fine.
“The idea that anyone can participate in design, though, raises a big question for me…why will a client continue to hire me when they realize this?”
There’s a site called LogoWorks that sells custom-designed logos starting at $299. What you don’t see is that there is an backend program called Arteis, where designers send in 3 concepts apiece and make a quick $20 via Paypal. If your design gets chosen and you make revisions, you get a little extra.
And a lot of small businesses who don’t think they can afford a big budget logo will go for it…I fell for it too for a while. I’m sad to say that there’s a pizza place in New York and a beauty parlor in Indiana that are using some terrible logos I made.
In short, you are more valuable as a designer than Clipart McGee and his Microsoft Word yard sale flyers because you are a stronger and more effective communicator. You speak the language. You know the programs. You know the history. You know the rules, how to break them, and how to use that knowledge to kung-fu fight Laurence Fishburne. You know the finer details of typography. You know colors. You know how to balance type and images. You know that a $60 vector slice of gradient pizza is conveying a sense of cheapness and tackiness. There is nothing unique about it. There is no concept behind it. Some might argue that’s okay for a little no-name pizza place, but I disagree. Their restaurant is being devalued…and I’m being devalued.
In reality, an effective idea-driven logo would bring in more customers, could extend into their menu and restaurant environment color scheme (creating a better overall dining experience), and be the symbol that people remember when deciding where they want to go for dinner over some no-name place. That’s quite an impact. There will always be a need for good ideas and how to communicate them strongly. I don’t think Abercrombie is going to hire Clipart McGee to make their fall catalog.
Robert, once during lunch in NYC you said “Please pass the iced tea.” You said this instead of “Give me the iced tea now because I’m awful parched and sure could use a cool refreshing glass of something iced and tea-like much akin to what is in that pitcher within arm’s distance of you so if you could make a passing motion without spilling anything that would solve my problem.”
See, you’re an effective communicator.
dave,
I agree with you that we (those who are trained graphic designers), may have an upperhand at communication. David Carson, one who had no formal training, produces very unique pieces of work and attempts to interpret the content through his design. Though does it not often feel like he sacrifices clear communication for simply aesthetics?
If design is to be relevant it must serve a basic need. And given that we are social animals, communication is the need design can solve. Furthermore, if we can communicate in a way that allows the audience to participate in constructing the meaning, what I believe you regard as an “effective idea-driven logo,” then we reach that transcendental marriage of communication and aesthetics.
However, I leave you with this bit of design from Tibor Kalman,
http://www.cheryllambert.com/demosites/tiborkalman/florent1_matchbooks.html
I’m not sure how the restaurant faired in the past or currently, but nonetheless the generic was made unique through this design.
Dave, the iced tea is on your side.
Robert, you pose an interesting question. A client would hopefully hire you because you are a trained professional. Design should be looked at as a profession, just like medicine. When I was young, my babysitter had a home remedy for every illness, and while her concoctions worked for certain things like a stuffy nose or sore throat, she was hardly a doctor. The same sort of analogy applies to design. But the difference lies in the fact that everyone these days has a computer, which allows people to play with the tools (if you will) of design. And since there is no way to determine who does or does not have the ability to call themselves a “graphic designer,” this is something you will just have to deal with. Medicine has a way to determine who gets to call themselves an MD. Unfortunately, we do not. Yes, anyone can technically call him/herself a designer, but the idea is that when a client wants to seek professional “treatment” for their corporate woes they will seek you for help, but when someone else’s home remedy of desktop publishing will suffice they are totally within their right go with that. And while it may seem far fetched to compare design to medicine, you must remember that while a font choice for a hot dog or toilet paper package might not kill someone, the hierarchy and layout of a ballot could determine the outcome of a presidential election.
Dear Robert,
In response to your statement: “I agree with you that we (those who are trained graphic designers), may have an upperhand at communication. David Carson, one who had no formal training, produces very unique pieces of work and attempts to interpret the content through his design. Though does it not often feel like he sacrifices clear communication for simply aesthetics?”
You know what makes a great communicator? A person who can first LISTEN.
Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who does all the talking? Or with a person who nods their head at what you’re saying and instead of responding to you, they are all the while dancing in their seat, biting their tongue, have already formed a “response” to you, just waiting impatiently for the chance to interrupt to tell their take? It’s infuriating. A REAL conversation is one where two people are engaged with each other. One person talks. The other listens, then responds. It should be a volley of ideas with the goal of mutual understanding and enlightenment.
Graphic Design is no different. Have you ever tried to read a poster that lacks hierarchy and concept? It’s infuriating! WHAT exactly are you trying to say here? And you want me to respond to this mess? All foam and no beer. All style and no structure. Hollow chaos. As a designer, when given an assignment, your first step should be to listen. Dig. Research. Once you’ve got new subject matter in your head, you’re able to form an opinion that is uniquely yours. Forget who you are for a bit to soak in something else. Become the blank slate, invite the problem, dance with the medium and create a solution RATHER than sit in the corner of your room all the while screaming at the top of your lungs “ME ME ME!! LISTEN TO MEEEE! LOOK at what I CAN DO!!! AREN’T I WONDERFUL!!!” It’s smothering.
A good designer (or parent, teacher, student, spouse, sibling, etc.) must embrace the concept of delayed gratification. They must first be brave enough to L I S T E N.
I don’t think that pizza slice clip art is a good listener. It bulldozes its way across the paper without asking any questions. It makes gross assumptions about who it thinks I am, you are, we are and what’s possible. The same with “cool, funky, trendy” design that is more a reflection of the person’s desire to belong, than it is about honest interpretation and problem solving.
It’s like dating someone who says, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.” When what they’re REALLY saying is, “Love ME, love ME, love ME, oh please, somebody love ME.” Smothering, isn’t it?
Once you are brave enough to stop talking and actually become more absorbent - you have the potential to provide such a gift to the world. And if you do this, someday you’ll have someone come up to you in response to your work, who tells you how what you’ve created made a difference, changed a mind, sparked a conversation, healed a wound.
We as human beings were SO meant to really BE with each other. Good design is a reflection of that relationship. In better understanding who someone ELSE is, we begin to understand ourselves. It is all so heartbreakingly beautiful - this conversation of life. And we get to do it every day. For a living. WOW.
~Anne
Anne,
Listening IS probably the most important first step before designing. I’d like to take it further by suggesting what we really must do before reaching for a pencil or a keyboard is to observe. We need to observe what the problem is, who it is affecting, what has been done in the past regarding this very problem, how has it succeeded or failed, is there even a proper solution, and how will that solution affect the future.
Now I’m sure there are many other steps that I may have left out, but the point I want to make is that an observation should be a fully sensous activity. And often it is an activity that may not necessitate a long, drawn out conversation.
Again, I want to refer to Bill Strickland from my original post. In either the Bidwell Training Center, or the Manchester Arts Guild, Bill wanted to put some flowers along the corridor. A group of school administrators touring the facility asked him how did he go about deciding to place the flowers there. His response, “I just went down to the florist and picked them up myself.” His point was that it doesn’t always take a task force or a committee, often places of drawn out debate, to make a decision. It just takes one person with some motivation.
Now is a flower placement changing the world? Not necessarily, but they are a solution to Bill’s initial observation: The poor never have a nice day.
Okay, so we’ve been back from Boston for a few weeks now, but I just wanted to add a few comments so that any future and potential students/volunteers at the next AIGA or any other such events know what a great opportunity these events are. Not only because of the company you are in as far as design icons and heroes, but also being with your peers… these are the people we will work with in the future, and Boston was a great opportunity to be around all of these people. If you have a chance to make it to the next AIGA conference, GO.