Drawing on the Promises » Creativity

A Mysterious Disappearance

Frank — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:43:00 +0000

I’ve been wondering why design tends to be lifeless and dry for me. I’ve often thought it was my lack of training or passion or maturity in the field. More and more I’m realizing that it’s because design often lacks mystery. In an attempt to always clearly communicate a brand, a story, an idea, designers are by default left with little to no room to be mysterious. There is an old proverb that says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of man to search it out.” One of the joys of life is discovering something hidden. Design needs to contain a mystery at some level for the viewer to seek out. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean.

Most designers are familiar with the FedEx logo by now. Did know that there is a hidden arrow formed by the white space between the “E” and the “x”? Or take Dave Werner’s online portfolio. Can you find the hidden video of him singing a cover of Usher’s hip-hop song “Yeah” or his cover of “Straight Up”? Or what about Paul Rustand’s visual song titled, “Have I Missed You“? There is heart touching mystery to be uncovered there. Or any of Stefan Sagmeister’s interactive optical piec...... Keep reading

Jobs Talk

Frank — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:53:00 +0000

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. Steve really has some good insights on creativity and life as it relates to the heart and soul of design. I hope you enjoy.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and ...... Keep reading

Classless Design

Frank — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:52:00 +0000

Like it or not, design has class. And no, I don’t mean it’s classy as in elegant or fashionable, although design is a very trendy business world accessory of late. And I don’t mean design has class as in groups that share the same common attributes. I mean design has class as in an artificial social hierarchy–much of it self inflicted. This more subtle definition of class creates a division where one group is perceived as “better” or “higher” or “more refined” than the other. This trend is nothing new. Art, architecture, literature, culture, music, etc. all have created similar class systems. And we as designers are somewhat guilty for creating artificial divisions in design. Let me explain.

I recently listened to an online video given by Malcom Gladwell, well known author of the Tipping Point and Blink. He tells the story of how in the early ’70′s Grey Poupon Dijon mustard broke into a field dominated by two plain yellow mustards. How? First, they created a different type of mustard that was spicy and brown. Then through design and advertising they created an artificial mustard social class, where plain yellow mustards should be perceived as “common” and Grey Poupon as “upper class” mustard. Grey Po...... Keep reading

The Limits of Design

Frank — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:37:00 +0000

I’m concerned. Has anyone else but me noticed the growing tendency in Western democratic countries around the world to censor anything that might be considered offensive to Muslims? Think back to the Danish editorial cartoon, the book by S. Rushdie and most recently the modification of a musical performance in Germany. It seems so small and insignificant, but these are signals that something is shifting in our world–a shift that will eventually constrain our freedom to speak the truth through design.

It’s a spirit of fear. And it’s not exclusive to Islamic extremists coming to get you if you say anything against the Prophet Mohammed. You can find fear operating in dictators, emperors, fascists, communists, capitalists, democracies and even Christian churches. We’re naïve as designers to think that the power of fear which for centuries has shaped, stifled and controlled the expression of truth through the visual arts can’t exert it’s influence again. Let’s take a little quiz to see how fear might already be impacting our choices:

1. Do you have a burning passion or project in design that you’d like to pursue, but just can’t seem to do it?
2. Do you dream of working independently, but can’t break free of your current employer?
3. Have you ever known what the best design solution was for a client’s problem, but didn’t suggest it?
4. Have y...... Keep reading

The Second Renaissance

Frank — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:20:00 +0000

You may not know it, but we’re in the beginning of what will one day be defined by historians as the Second Renaissance or “rebirth” of arts and culture. The First Renaissance started in Italy in the 1300′s, lasted several hundred years, and centered around the rediscovery of ancient texts and classical learning that was dormant Europe during the Middle Ages. This rediscovery brought about profound changes in every area of society that formed the basis of what we now consider Modern society. The First Renaissance witnessed the birth of the Reformation, the rise of Humanism and the spark of the Scientific Revolution. And the institutional Christian church played a significant role in funding and shaping much of the major movements during this period. As a result, the art, philosophy (minus humanism) and music of that period bore the distinct marks of the church and a calling to a higher, deeper Purpose that those disciplines serve.

The Second Renaissance is quite different. While technology still fuels it–the computer and Internet taking the place of the printing press and monks–the Second Renaissance signals the transition of the Modern era into a Post-Modern one. This Second Renaissance is not being shaped by institutions–the Church or otherwise, but by individuals and organic groups formed and reformed for specific purposes. The focus is largely now on the rediscovery of pre-classical, ancient t...... Keep reading

Designing with a Handicap

Frank — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 04:48:00 +0000

You can tell it’s summer because we’ve not posted in a while. I just returned from a family vacation in Alaska, and have no idea where the other BLANK bloggers are. I also spent a good part of my summer working on a client site that’s almost complete, and watching movies with my family. Which brings me to some thoughts on design and it’s ability to touch the heart.

After seeing some great flicks, I’m more aware of graphic design’s self-imposed limitations to touch the heart. I know, it’s not fair to compare apples to oranges, but I’ll do so anyway. At the core (pun intended) of a medium’s capability to touch the heart is the ability to tell a story in a powerful and meaningful way. Design is handicapped as a medium to tell stories. Why? Stories need the element of time to develop, communicate and mature. Film has the ability to create time through multiple image frames. Design though is like a single frame: able to communicate a message, but unable to allow that message to change over time and form a story. Unless, of course, design takes a cue from film and creates the “time” it needs to tell a story that touches the heart. What might this look like? Maybe it looks like this. Or possi...... Keep reading

The Power of _______.

Frank — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:11:00 +0000

In 1867 something very important happened, the results of which are probably sitting right in front of you. Since the invention of paper, people have been trying to find ways to keep them together…ribbons, straight pins (ouch!), spit, vines, gum and anything else they could scrounge up. Then an American inventor named Samuel B. Fay invented the paperclip. Not only was his design simple and ingenious, the humble paperclip is one of the few technological designs that have remained virtually unchanged over the last 100 plus years. The most common variation on the Fay design that we still see today is the Gem clip (hence the name). Quite a design accomplishment in this day and age when a company logo barely lasts more than 20 years before some marketing executive decides to “rebrand”.

Yet, what’s most intriguing to me is how the ubiquitous paperclip became a symbol of something far more important than its original design. During World War II, Norwegians wore paperclips to protest the Nazi invasion and demonstrate their sympathy for the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and others persecuted by the Nazis. After World War II the Office of Strategic Services (a forerunner to the CIA) even ran a covert operation code named “Paperclip” to bring German Nazi rocket scient...... Keep reading

What a Waste?

Frank — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:45:00 +0000

It’s been almost a year since we scooped the designer behind the poop. Ever since, I’ve been hunting for ways to nurture creativity in my children, but hadn’t really found much. Then I stumbled upon Dave Werner’s now famous portfolio which I’ve reviewed here. What intrigued me the most were the things that fueled his creative growth growing up. So rather than guess what those things might be, I asked him. Here’s a list of things Dave did or was free to do in his childhood that exercised his creative muscles (Thanks for sharing Dave):

- Exploring and drawing maps of the woods near our neighborhood, including secret bases and paths
- Drawing huge murals on butcher paper of imaginary worlds and characters
- Making fictional television guides with shows like “Lego” and “Dinnertime”…if we were ever bored, we would just look at what time it was and check out what the different imaginary channels were playing.
- Writing journals and stories in spiral notebooks
- Creat...... Keep reading

Making Sausage

Frank — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:49:00 +0000

My old advertising boss used to tell our customers, “You don’t want to watch us make the sausage.” He grew up in Mississippi, and knew what went into those tasty treats you find on your breakfast plate. If you actually saw the pieces and parts that make sausage, there’s a good chance you’d never eat it. He applied this sausage thinking to the creative process and clients. He reasoned most clients don’t want to see all the wadded up ideas and missteps in the design process. And he’s mostly right.

Yet, I’m coming to the conclusion that no one wins when clients can’t see into the design process. Client’s are generally ignorant about the time, energy and discipline necessary to produce effective creative on schedule and within budget. Showing the end concept without involving them along the way further contributes to their ignorance. Why? They have no sense of appreciation for your creative process. Having “grown up” on the client side of things, I’ll never forget the first time the contracted design team ...... Keep reading

With age comes ______?

Frank — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 16:27:00 +0000

Creativity. It’s so often relegated to the young. In almost every profession from music to art to design to business, our society idolizes youth as the fountain of creativity. Just pick up any issue of HOW, Print or ID, and you’ll quickly see what I mean. Rarely will the work of anyone over 40 be featured, and if they are, you can bet they’ve been featured before when they were in their 30′s or 20′s. Take a look across your agency or firm at the creatives there. Most of the hands-on design is done by those in their twenties or early thirties, while those 40 plus are confined to management positions. Why?

Our American design culture is enthralled by the shiny new thing. I guess I can’t really blame us, everything in America is new, relatively speaking. From architecture to music to theatre, our nation has only been around for 200 plus years. Hardly mature compared to the creative cultures of Italy, France or Germany—not to mention China or Egypt. And to be fair, design as a profession is a babe when in the company of art or music.

So, it’s somewhat understandable that American designers tend to gravitate toward the next Stefan Sagmeister or Joshua Davis or whomever. We identify these young guns, promote them, show them over and over in...... Keep reading