Michael Bierut
Reading three of graphic designer Michael Bierut 79 Short Essays on Design, I have gained a lot of tips on the world of graphic design. The three essays I choose to read where, Information Design and the Placebo Effect, Vladimir Nabokov: Father of Hypertext, & How to Become Famous.
The essay that I choose to write about is How to Become Famous. In this essay, Michael describes what fame means to him and ask what does being famous really count for. On the track to become famous, he breaks down different categories that designers have to be successful at to be recognized. First designers have to win some design competitions to become known. Michael describes that things that win design competitions are cool looking projects that solve easily understandable problems. Types of designs that win are brilliant responses to intricate marketing briefs but that cant be understood by another designer in less than a second will not win.
Another tip he gives designers is to focus on the design. Do not worry about writing a detailed explanation of the strategy you took, the problem, and the client because the judges will not read them. He also states that you should not enter anything into the competition that has to be unwrapped or has things fallen off of it. The final tip that he gives is always think big. Design your piece so it is the biggest piece submitted. Pieces that are around 17”x22” are going to be noticed by the judges. Do not submit anything that requires slides or a projector. It is no guarantee that is going to be seen.
After the designer wins some competitions, they have to establish themselves as a great speaker. Michael gives some tips about how designers should give a speech. He says make sure you make eye contact and use forceful gestures. You can have 80 slides but make sure they have images and that you PowerPoint have a sequence never go over 160 slides. Never describe that slide that people are looking at. You want to set the next slide up like a movie, give the audience a moment to think what they would do with the information, and then show them what you did. Never read your speech, always summarize, you want to make your audience seem like you are confident and prepared. If possible, try to redesign everything so that it fits your presentation. Do not just slap a graphs and tables from annual reports into your presentation because your audience will immediately be bored. Finally, you want to always end on a strong note. Your last slide your be thought provoking and engage your audience into wanting more information.
Michael ends his road to become a famous graphic designer by describing how to do great design work. His first suggestion is to design all the time. To become famous you need about three great pieces a year. Design anything that you can get your hands on like stationery items and things for your friends and family. Do a lot of free design. When you are just starting out you should not be charging. Do simple stuff like logo and poster designs that allows you to show off your creativity. When you do get paid for your design work, make sure it is your best work! The fastest way to get notice and become famous as a graphic designer is word of mouth. Being recognized by your peers is the first step to success. As a designer, you will sometimes have a creative block. Make sure you always have a sure fire fallback technique that you know you can use to make a piece of art. Great designers always push the envelope but they have a signature style that they are known for. When all of these principles fail you, remember this slogan, when in doubt make it big, still in doubt make it red and if it’s still big and ugly then it isn’t big enough.
With all these keys to success, you should be famous in no time.