Out of the four selected essays, my favorite was, “How to Become Famous.” While I have no desire to become famous, I feel Michael Bierut’s advice will make me a better designer. His advice on How to Design Great Work seems right on par with what I have been told in the past.
While it can be hard to sit down and just design, that is what needs to happen more. His ideas for creating more design are great. I am planning to design stationery for my mom for Christmas, I am designing and getting more practice. I love beer and labels, so why not try to create some for fun. Designing as much as I can will make me a better designer. Not every piece will be amazing, but a few will be.
The story about Vignelli’s subway map made me laugh. While I can still navigate the current NYC subway map, his original design seems simpler to understand. Who cares if it is not geographically correct?
I guess that is an important thing to take into account when designing, just because you think taking a liberty will be ok, it is important to see if your client will accept it.
I hope to read the rest of Bierut’s essays in the near future, there are ways to expand my thinking and ideas.