Pentagram and Paula Scher

After watching these artist series videos I felt inspired. I really enjoyed listening to each artists process or lack there of. I appreciated the Pentagram videos as well, because they allowed me to realize what really drives these artists to do what they do everyday. It was interesting to see the collective opinions about a group of designers who are so unique, yet connected. I really enjoyed seeing all the works that are so incredibly different side by side. The partners at Pentagram are all working towards a collective goal and mission—to remain relevant and to produce new meaning and influence through their designs.

One of the partners, Paula Scher’s story hit home for me because she understands and recognizes that experience fuels the creative process. She says that most of her work is derived from her first instincts because she is working with a lifetime of knowledge and experience that shapes her designs. I respect that she realizes that experience and knowledge are essential to the creative process.

Scher shared an anecdote during the video about one of her teachers telling her early on, that she should illustrate with type. I think that before this program I had a hard time seeing typeface as anything other than a passive channel for information to be transferred. I used to think that illustrations and type or writing were inherently different in their nature. Now I’m able to really see the art in design.

Scher paints a picture with her words literally and figuratively. She forces the viewer to experience something unique. Her passion is clearly interpreted through her designs. Her “craft” as Scher describes it, is still using her hands to create. She is an artist but she uses her art as a tool that inspires her daily. Scher talks about the blissful feeling that she gets when she has an “aha moment” with her designs and I’m eager to pursue that same feeling of satisfaction in my work.

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