#4 How to Become Famous – Who wouldn’t want to be famous? I don’t know if I’ll ever be famous as a graphic designer, but I think a lot of the advice given pertains to becoming famous in interactive media in general and not just graphic design. Entering competitions is a good way to get your name out there, especially if you win. The more competitions you enter with quality work will help with the whole getting famous thing. I think the most important piece of advice is to just do as much work as you possibly can. The more work you do there’s a greater chance of having more pieces that are truly great and not just good. It’s like the old saying “practice makes perfect.” I think for us iMedia students this is especially true because the more work we do the more comfortable we are with the software, which gives us an opportunity to try more difficult/complex works. You also want to be able to develop your own style, so when people see your work they know who made it just from glancing at it.
Massimo Vignelli's NYC subway map.
#45 Mr. Vignelli’s Map – The map of New York City’s subway system was created by Massimo Vignelli in 1972. If you’ve been on the subway in NYC then you have seen this map; however, this is just a variation of Vignelli’s map. Vignelli started working on the map in 1968 and used an old London Underground map to base his on. Vignelli’s map revolutionized the subway system by making it easier to understand. In order to do this he had to take some artistic liberties in his design. He decided to only have the train lines run in 45 and 90 degree angles, instead of following the actual train lines. He also changed the map of NYC to make everything fit together. Vignelli made Central Park a square, although it is three times longer than it is wide. The map was criticized for its lack of accuracy and was replaced seven years later in 1972 for a revamped version that was more geographically accurate. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d kind of like for a map to be geographically accurate. Kind of the point in using one. I guess Vignelli didn’t get that memo. You have to hand it to him though, he created a simplified design that made sense out of the tangled and messy subway system.
I had no idea George Harrison was sued for "stealing" the idea for his song "My Sweet Lord."
#65 I am a Plagiarist – I can’t believe George Harrison got sued for his song “My Sweet Lord” by The Chiffons who think he used their song “He’s So Fine.” I’m a pretty big Beatles fan and fan of the members’ solo work as well and I had never heard of this. So I went to iTunes to hear this Chiffons song in hopes that it sounded nothing like “My Sweet Lord.” The two songs are very similar. They follow the same rhythms and it’s almost like Harrison just changed the words and used an acoustic guitar for the song. Everyone knows Harrison wasn’t the kind of person to just steal someone’s music like that. The only reasonable explanation is that he heard the song and must have stored it away in the back of his mind and one day when he was trying to write a song this rhythm came to mind as his own. This has happened to everyone right? Not for writing songs but for creating something. How can it not happen? We see and hear so many different things in our lifetimes that we’re bound to use bits and pieces of it in our own work. Hopefully this never happens to us while making a big time project that could result in a successful lawsuit like it did with George Harrison.
“My Sweet Lord” from the Concert for Bangladesh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a48gIt84AZc
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