Storytelling, Minimalism, Narcissism, and a Foul-mouthed German Typographer

Thirty designers, two simple questions: “What single example of design inspires you most?” and “What problem should design solve next?”

Though I was a little disappointed in the brevity and generality of certain responses (I’m looking at you, Paula Scher– yes, “design might not always be the answer,” but I want to hear more!), the majority of these videos were insightful, enlightening, and in some cases, thoroughly entertaining.

Pete Docter, the man behind the poignant Pixar feature film, Up, delivered his answers ON THE ROOF OF HIS HOUSE (ok, not really– he likely recorded those answers in a studio, but still!). Though his presentation certainly succeeded in keeping my attention from the very beginning, Docter’s content was also equally inspiring. It helps to hear a master storyteller admit he is still “constantly confounded and confused” when writing stories. “Working on one that’s driving me up the wall!” he quips (HA! How can you not love this guy?).

Side note: I feel like Edward Tuft could learn a lot from Pete Docter. Maybe he should stand on a roof the next time he talks about the iPhone.

While perhaps not as dramatic as Pete Docter’s, Emily Pilloton’s responses in “Do More With Less,” as well as her minimalistic approach to design were both thought-provoking and engaging. Like MacGyver, she explains, design is about doing the most with what’s available to you. Using the bare minimum to achieve the most desirable result can often work to your advantage, whether it is writing, designing, coding, or even making a Halloween costume (ala three-hole punch Jim). I also appreciated her emphasis of process over product, but would have liked to hear more about how she wants to use the process of design to re-imagine the typical public school curriculum (she explained the “why” extremely well– I just wanted to know more about “how” she would incorporate it).

Chip Kidd, unabashedly narcissistic with a nice dose of sarcasm, kept me chuckling with his various cartoonish self-portraits and snarky remarks, like how he’s “inspired” by his “monthly mortgage payment.” In all seriousness though, I do think that knowing who you are and  “developing an identity for yourself” is crucial, and not just because you’ll become bitter and won’t be able to drink top-shelf liquor otherwise, but rather because you cannot justify or sell your ideas/works/creations/designs if you don’t know or understand your own aesthetic– nor can you truly harness your full potential if you’re stuck trying to figure out how you want to present yourself.

I don’t think I’ve encountered anything involving Erik Spiekermann that was less than brilliant. Unlike Edward Tuft, I could listen to Spiekermann talk all day. His comment about how “thriving on constraints” is what makes him a designer, rather than an artist, made me think back to previous class discussions about how designers rarely have the kind of freedom artists have. Designers, as Spiekermann notes, “solve other people’s problems,” while incorporating “a bit of experience, creativity, good mood, bad mood, whatever.”

Also, watching him print “abc” via a printing press was particularly fun. His closing comment made me laugh pretty hard.